Princess Commander: Embracing Darkness
by CyberChick135
Summary: {Sequel to ThePrincessCommander} "I'm through sitting here and feeling sorry for myself." I huffed, getting to my feet. "My people need me, I'm not gonna let them die here." I turned to the barred window that connected this room to the next. I gripped the bars, watching her meditate as if nothing was happening. "Help me." I pleaded, her eyes meeting mine. "Help me become stronger."
1. Cast List

**Season Two Main Cast**

"Would you sacrifice freedom for survival?"

I've survived a war with the Grounders and near death, only to find myself stuck inside a fortress with no way of escape. Out of the 100 of us delinquents sent to Earth, 48 of us remain. Sure, Mount Weather was our intended destination, but everything about this place seems a little to good to be true. I shouldn't be complaining, after all, their medical staff saved my life and the lives of my sister and friends. However, five of my friends and the man I love, are still out there somewhere. As I soon fear this place isn't all it's cracked up to be, I find myself at a fork in the road; leave with my sister and find help or stay with my people and protect them until help arrives. Either way you look at it, I have to step up once again. Only this time, I can't be afraid of the decisions I have to make. I have to be stronger and harder. I just may have to embrace the darkness that comes with being the Princess Commander.

* * *

 **Claire Holt as Rayleigh "Ray" Griffin:** The main character and narrator of this story, known by her people now as the Princess Commander. Where we left her off, she was being operated on by a medical team, and flatlined during her operation. Yet, somehow, her heart began to beat again after Time of Death was called. Over the course of this next installment, she will fully understand what being the Princess Commander means, and what it entails. She'll come to realize this with the help of an unlikely ally.

 **Eliza Taylor as Clarke Griffin:** Rayleigh's younger sister and main character. She, along with 47 others from the drop ship site were taken and she awoke in a white room. Right off she doesn't trust the people inside Mount Weather, which leads her to a dangerous discovery. One difficult decision made by her sister sends Clarke down a path that will ultimately change her.

 **Bob Morely as Bellamy Blake:** As one of the six remaining survivors not taken by the Mountain Men, he gathers the remaining survivors together and regroups with survivors from the Ark. His mind always flashes back to that night, and Rayleigh's last words keep him going. He puts his life on the line to sneak inside Mount Weather to rescue the rest of his people and the girl he loves.

 **Paige Turco as Dr. Abigail Griffin:** Rayleigh and Clarke's mother, thought to have been killed in the Exodus ship crash, returns to Earth with one goal; find her daughters. When she reunites with one but not the other, she aids in forming an alliance with former enemies of the 100, all in the name to find her other daughter. However, she soon realizes that they're not her little girls anymore, but leaders in their own rights.

 **Thomas McDonell as Finn Collins:** One of the six remaining survivors not taken by the Mountain Men, he regroups with Bellamy and the rest with one goal in mind; rescue Clarke at any cost. A goal with fatal consequences.

 **Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia Blake:** One of the six remaining survivors not taken by the Mountain Men, all because she made a heart-wrenching choice to leave her brother behind and go with Lincoln. She finds her inner strength and fights alongside the Grounders to free her friends from the Mountain, a step that will open her eyes to who she really is.

 **Christopher Larkin as Monty Green:** He's been inside Mount Weather since before the Grounders attacked, safe and sound. After Clarke is revealed to have left and Rayleigh being imprisoned in an unmonitored wing, he soon realizes that the safe fortress isn't all it appears, and is the first to suggest trying to escape. Along the way, he discovers the truth and helps the Princess Commander take down the mountain from the inside.

 **Devon Bostick as Jasper Jordan:** Seemingly enjoying his new life inside Mount Weather, he dismisses all theories from his friends. He forms a strong bond with Maya Vie and would do anything to save her, even risk his own life. When the truth comes out, he stands with his friends and the rebellion, which will ultimately cost him everything.

 **Lindsey Morgan as Raven Reyes:** Her fate left unknown, she's found and tended to by Abby, who fulfills the promise Rayleigh had made to her. Putting her brain to work, she helps aid Rayleigh and Bellamy as they work to take out Mount Weather from the inside. A feat only she could accomplish.

 **Amber Heard as Zasha:** The second to Commander Lexa, as well as her 'adoptive' younger sister. Held prisoner inside Mount Weather for months after her scouting party was attacked, she befriends Rayleigh when she's thrown into the room beside hers; a barred window their only form of communication. After witnessing Rayleigh's spirit be broken, she aids her in realizing what being the Princess Commander truly means. She helps her embrace her title, and the strength the burden what comes with it.

 **Alycia Debnam-Carey as Lexa:** The Commander of the 12 clans and the reason they formed an alliance with the Sky People to fight against Mount Weather. She's a strong and ruthless commander, ruling with her head, believing love to be a weakness. However, when it comes to Clarke and her choices, Lexa appears to listen and take note, even believing that those are better options.

 **Ricky Whittle as Lincoln:** A once enemy turned ally, and the main reason Octavia survived the war and was not taken by the Mountain Men. However, after saving Octavia's life at the expense of his own, he's taken by Reapers and is experiments on, which eventually awakens a darkness in him he wishes he never had.

 **Lilly Collins as Cassandra "Cassie" Emerson:** A young RN on Mount Weather's medical staff and the one who assisted Dr. Tsing in saving Rayleigh's life. She befriends Rayleigh rather quickly, making her a necklace in place of the one she lost. When the real truth about Mount Weather comes out, she sides with the rebellion and aids Rayleigh and Bellamy in taking it down from the inside. Along this way, she reunites Rayleigh with someone she thought she'd lost a long time ago.

 **Eve Harlow as Maya Vie:** A young girl living inside Mount Weather who instantly befriends Jasper. She tries to quell any doubt about the facility, but later learns the truth. She helps protect the 48 remaining delinquents, which costs her something in the end.


	2. The 48

**The 48**

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **Mount Weather**

Rayleigh laid in a bed in the medical wing of Mount Weather, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. A pale blue quilt covered her up to her collarbone, her left arm rested at her side attached to a blood bag while her right arm was bent with her hand resting under her breasts. Electrodes were attached to her chest, monitoring her steady vitals. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, giving the sense she was in a peaceful sleep.

The door to the medical wing opened and a tall man with wide shoulders, short light brown hair and blue eyes slowly approached the bed. His eyes wandered down the sleeping teenage girl, fixating on the peacefulness of her face. He wore a badge with the name 'Jake Anderson' printed on it, his title was Chief Engineer.

"Rayleigh." he muttered, placing his hand on top of hers, his eyes welling with moisture. "Sweetheart, what the hell happened to you that caused you to end up like this?"

"Oh, hey Jake." Cassandra Emerson greeted, joining him.

Jake quickly removed his hand from Rayleigh's. "Hi Cassie." he replied. "So this is the girl that flatlined during her operation?"

Cassie nodded, her red ponytail draped over her white lab coat. "A real miracle." she noted. "She must be really strong to come back. Which is good, I'd hate to break the news to her sister that she died." Cassie recorded Rayleigh's vitals on the chart she held. "Her friends are real worried about her."

"I bet so." Jake agreed. "Anyway, it's time for that routine systems analysis." he walked to the back room where a few computers were stationed. "This should only take a few minutes."

"Take your time." Cassie motioned, continued her observation of Rayleigh.

Rayleigh's left hand jerked slightly, her fingers flexing as if she was grabbing someone's hand. Her lips moved ever so slightly, muttering out a single name; Bellamy.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the woods**

Spear in hand, Bellamy ran through the woods as fast as he could. He stopped to catch his breath, taking in his surroundings and making sure there were no Grounders in sight.

"Bellamy?" someone whispered, making him whip around. Two other delinquents, Monroe and Sterling, were hunched behind a log.

"Get back down." Bellamy whispered, joining them. "Have you seen Finn?"

"Finn's alive?" Sterling questioned.

"He was. We got separated." Bellamy answered, catching his breath. "We knew the fire was coming, so we ran, but one of them followed." he looked back the way he came before looking back at the other two kids. "How'd you guys get out?"

"We saw the Ark come down." Sterling stammered. "We thought we'd come get help. Piece of it came down this way. Monroe thinks it's Mecha, but personally, I think-"

He was cut off when the heard something in the distance. "Follow me." he whispered. "Stay low and quiet."

They carefully followed the sounds and soon found the source. Finn's hands were bound in front of his as he was being led down the trail, by a severely burned Grounder. He collapsed from exhaustion, panting.

* * *

 **Mount Weather**

Clarke was led to the Medical Wing of Mount Weather, a piece of cloth on her left arm covering a long gash. As soon as the doors opened, her eyes instantly fell on the last bed. "Rayleigh!" she yelled, breaking into a run.

She stopped by the bed, staring down at her sister. "Ray wake up." she said, shaking her shoulders. "Ray please, please wake up." tears fell from her eyes as she laid her forehead in the nape of her sister's neck. "You can't leave me too."

"She's gonna be fine." Cassie assured, walking up to her. "Your sister's just recuperating."

Clarke's head snapped up, glaring at the red haired nurse and the dark skinned doctor. "What did you do to her?"

Dr. Tsing stepped forward. "We saved her life." she answered. "You're hurt too, so please let us help."

Clarke sat on the side of her sister's bed, "I'm not leaving her." she stated.

"I'll get the supplies." Cassie sighed, grabbing the necessary materials needed to stitch up a deep laceration.

"I'm Lorelei Tsing." Dr. Tsing. introduced. "This is Cassandra Emerson." she motioned to the red haired nurse. "You're Clarke correct?"

Clarke nodded, letting Cassie stitch up her arm but her eyes never wavered from Dr. Tsing. "Where the hell am I?" she asked through gritted teeth. "And tell me what happened to my sister."

"To answer your first question, you're inside Mount Weather." Dr. Tsing answered. "As for your sister," her eyes drifted to Rayleigh, "the antidote we gave her to cure the poison has a sedative mixed in with it. Her body is in a state of rest as it heals from the aftermath of her operation."

"Operation." Clarke repeated.

Cassie bandaged up Clarke's arm, covering the newly stitched laceration with a large gauze pad. "She was in serious trouble, we had to work fast." she elaborated. "The major damage was to her chest, blood was filling the pleural cavity, suffocating her. We had to drain the blood and repair the damage. On top of that, her blood was poisoned, so we had to administer a universal antidote we created."

Clarke stared down at her sister, noting a stitched cut on her left shoulder. "The Grounders poison their weapons." she noted.

"You're sister's strong." Cassie added, standing up and disposing her supplies. "She flatlined during her surgery."

Clarke's stone expression changed in that second as she heard the word 'flatline'. She grabbed her sister's right hand, holding it in both of hers.

"It's a miracle." Dr. Tsing continued. "She came back. Her spirit's incredibly strong."

Keeping one hand clasped around her sister's, Clarke used her other to caress the side of her face, running her fingers through her hair. "You can't leave me too." she whispered, tucking Rayleigh's hair behind her hear. Clarke laid her head on her sister's chest, suppressing the sob welling in her throat. "You can't leave me here alone." she squeezed Rayleigh's hand tightly.

The doors opened and an elderly man in a suit came in, accompanied by a security officer. "Hello, Clarke. How is your arm?" the elderly man asked, walking up to the teenager.

"Mr. President." Cassie and Dr. Tsing greeted, bowing their heads slightly.

The elderly gentleman stood at the foot of the bed, seeing Clarke's body tense she she guarded her sister. "Not much of a talker, are you?" he questioned. "A skill picked up from the savages, no doubt. That's fine." a young girl with short, curly brown hair stepped up beside the President. "Maya has something to say first anyway."

"You were the next one to be cleared through quarantine." the girl named Maya informed. "Another 10 minutes and you would've..." she trailed off as the President gave her a stern look. Maya lowered her head. "I'm not pressing charges."

"Thank you, Maya." the President praised. "You can get your treatment now."

Dr. Tsing led Maya to one of the beds closer to the doors. The elderly man held his hand out, "Dante Wallace." he introduced. Clarke noticed a dark residue on his fingers. "Oil paint." Dante clarified. "You're an artist, too."

"Who told you that?" Clarke asked.

"Your people did." Dante answered. "They also said your older sister, Rayleigh," he nodded his head to the sleeping teen. "was their leader. They referred to her as the Princess Commander."

Clarke's face lightened as she glanced down at her sister, caressing the knuckles of her right hand. "Where's my watch?" she demanded. "And the ring that was around my sister's neck?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't let contaminated items inside Mount Weather." Dante apologized. "Our protocol is very strict. We prioritize safety over sentimentality."

"How many of us did you capture?" Clarke pressed, narrowing her eyes.

"Forty-eight, including you and Rayleigh." Dante informed. "But, you've got it wrong. You're not prisoners, we saved you."

"Well, in that case, you won't mind if we leave." Clarke huffed. "If there are 48 of us here, we still have people out there."

"The patrol brought in everyone they could find." Dante clarified.

"What about the Ark?" Clarke continued. "It came down-"

"We saw it." Dante cut in. "There were multiple crash sites over 100 square miles. If there were survivors, we will bring them in, too. You have my word."

"I want to see my friends." Clarke demanded.

"Of course you do." Dante agreed. "I would, too." two more security officers rolled a large trunk up to the bed. "Change and meet me in the hall."

Dante turned and left, followed by the security guards. Clarke browsed the clothing selection, settling for dark green pants, a pink tank top and a light blue jacket. After changing, she sat by her sister's side.

"I know how you feel." Cassie stated, leaning against the wall. "I have a big brother myself."

Clarke licked her lips and stood up, clearing her throat. "Thanks." she said to Cassie, "For saving her. She's all I've got."

"Of course." Cassie gave her a sweet smile and left to check on Maya.

Clarke waited till the nurse was distracted before breaking the heel off a black stiletto and slipping it inside her sleeve, making her way out of the medical wing.

* * *

 **The Woods**

Bellamy, Monroe, and Sterling continued to follow Finn closely, without letting the Grounder know they were right on his heels. "I know you're scared." Bellamy noted, turning to Sterling and Monroe. "But we are warriors. We can do this."

"How?" Sterling asked.

"We attack as a team." Bellamy answered. "When he goes for me, Monroe goes for Finn. Once he's free, it's four on one."

"What do I do?" Sterling questioned.

"Try not to die." Bellamy sighed. "Ready? One, two, three." he ran out of the trees, spear ready. "Hey!" he called, making the Grounder turn.

Finn looked back and was shocked to see who was standing just a yard or so away. The shock quickly faded, "Bellamy, get out of here!" he called.

The Grounder turned his horse around and charged right for Bellamy. He dodged the spear and knocked Bellamy to the ground, gaining the upper hand and bound his hands. After attaching the rope to his horse's saddle, he continued down the path, dragging the two boys along.

"You have to stand on your feet." Finn told him, trying to keep up with the horse's pace. "He'll kill you if you don't."

A few yards ahead, Monroe and Sterling charged out of the forest, ready to save the two boys. The Grounder forced his horse to stop and drew his sword, bloodlust in his eyes. Before he could make one move, he was shot from behind; once in the back and then in the head. His body crumpled to the ground, revealing the shooter to be Marcus Kane.

"Everything's gonna be okay." Kane assured. He gave a signal and a crowd of people came from the woods, one of them being Abby Griffin.

Her sights immediately went to Finn and Bellamy and her training made her walk up to them, checking for any serious injuries. She took note of the cuts and bruises on their faces, as well as the dirt and blood.

"We're fine." Bellamy assured. "We need to get back to the drop ship."

"Where are Rayleigh and Clarke?" Abby asked. "Are they all right?" she cut the ropes from their wrists.

Bellamy blinked, images from the war racing through his mind. In particular, the last few moments he saw of Rayleigh before she ducked into the drop ship and closed the door. The moment a knife struck her shoulder and she fell a good few feet, landing on her back, her face contorted in pain. The look in her eyes as they stared at each other across the battlefield, her lips forming words that made him want nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and to never let go; _"Bellamy, I love you"._

"Are my daughters all right?" Abby asked again, looking between the two boys.

"They were when we left." Finn answered. "We'll take you to them." he started back down the trail

"Wait, slow down." Kane halted, standing in his way. "Sinclair, we're splitting up. One guard detail comes with me to the drop ship. Everyone else here goes with you to Alpha Station." he ordered. "We'll follow as soon as we can."

"Yes, sir." Sinclair confirmed.

Before he could leave, Kane grabbed his arm. "Anything more from Jaha?"

Sinclair shook his head. "Nothing in the past hour."

Kane nodded and turned to the guards near Abby, Finn, and Bellamy. "You six with me." he looked to the two young boys. "You two, lead the way."

* * *

The drop ship site came into view, charred skeletons littered the field of ash. Bellamy looked down at one particular skeleton, which had three arrows in it's back. His eyes moved to the burned remains of the sandbags, where Rayleigh was standing as she fired her arrows like a warrior, before she fell from the height. His heart constricted as he remembered the look of sadness in her eyes when she knew they had to go their separate ways if they were to survive.

Finn nudged his arm, "You okay?" he asked.

He managed a nod, "Yeah, just wondering if Rayleigh's okay." he admitted, walking ahead. Something glimmering in the ash caught his eyes and knelt down, picking up a long, silver chain, a chain he recognized. He pulled the necklace free and cleaned it off, holding the ring between his fingers, caressing the band. "Ray, what happened to you?"

Finn patted his shoulder reassuringly. "She's alive." he assured. "Rayleigh's strong. Her, Clarke, and everyone else, they're all alive."

Bellamy nodded in agreement, sliding the chain over his head. "All I know is, she would never give this up without a fight." he tucked the ring under the collar of his shirt. "I'll keep it safe, until I find her."

Kane helped an injured Murphy out of the drop ship, getting both Finn's and Bellamy's attention. When Murphy saw them, his face fell. "Bellamy." he greeted, casually. "You're alive."

Something inside Bellamy snapped as soon as Murphy opened his mouth. "You murdering son of a bitch!" he cursed, knocking the traitor to the ground and started beating him.

Finn's attempts to stop him only failed. Kane shook his head and nodded to one of his guards. He nodded and pulled out his weapon, shock-lashing Bellamy. The sudden jolt caused him to roll onto his back, gasping.

"Place him under arrest." Kane ordered.

The two officers did as they were told, tying Bellamy's wrists behind his back. "Wait." Finn halted, Kane held him back. "You don't understand. Murphy murdered two of our people and shot another one." he informed. "He tried to hang Bellamy."

"I don't care." Kane cut off, his face stern. "You are not animals." he pointed out, looking between the two boys. "There are rules. Laws. You are not in control here anymore."

Two more guards came out, carrying a stretcher with Raven laying on it. "Raven." Finn gasped, running to her side.

"She's lost a lot of blood." Abby informed. "It's a miracle that she's still alive. There's no one else in there." she looked to the two guards. "Come on. Put her down over here."

Kane stared Bellamy right in the eyes, taking notice the chain around his neck. Two guards restrained him as Kane exposed the ring, "This is-" he started to say.

"It's Rayleigh's." Bellamy finished. "I found it over there." he motioned to the spot, where a bloody knife, a bow, and a backpack with a few arrows remaining laid half-buried in the ash.

Abby stood next to Kane, "Let me." she volunteered, her eyes pleading.

Kane and the two guards stepped back, letting Abby and Bellamy talk in private. Her eyes instantly went to the ring, remembering when Jake first gave it to her. She swallowed the tears and met Bellamy's eyes, which reflected a similar look of sadness. "You know what this is, don't you." it wasn't a question, more of a statement.

Bellamy nodded. "The ring her father made when he proposed to you." he confirmed. "He gave it to her before-" he trailed off. "She was alive when I last saw her. Rayleigh's a strong girl, a natural born leader."

Abby nodded in agreement, pulling out a rag and started cleaning the dried blood from Bellamy's face. "Tell me about when you saw my daughters last." she asked, glancing into his eyes.

Bellamy bit his lip. "It was the other night, when the Grounders broke through the gate." he replied. "They came out of the drop ship, telling everyone to get inside. Rayleigh thought of a plan; draw the Grounders close to the ship and fire the rockets. She saved my life, with those." he motioned to the bow and arrows. "Rayleigh fired them off, buying time for everyone to get to the ship." images of her standing on the sandbags flashed across his eyes, he bit his lip to swallow the emotions.

"Just like her father." Abby noted, shuddering. "I knew she'd be a great leader." she dabbed away the blood around Bellamy's nose.

"Even when she was-" he swallowed the lump in his throat. Bellamy closed his eyes, remembering the knife hitting Rayleigh's shoulder and her falling on her back. "a knife was thrown into her shoulder and she fell, but still kept firing. Her strength to save those she could, it's one of the things I-" his shoulders sank as he remembered her declaration before they parted ways. "one of the things I love about her."

Abby stopped momentarily, meeting Bellamy's eyes. The eyes of a man in love with her oldest daughter. Moisture welled in her eyes as she finished cleaning his face, "Thank you." she murmured, giving Bellamy a warm smile.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

 _Fire. Bloodcurdling screams. Death in all directions. War. My body acting all on it's own as I jumped on a log then jumped up to a small pile of sandbags, firing arrows off in all directions, striking Grounders with every hit, trying desperately to save my people. My heart hammered in my ears as my blood pumping in my veins, adrenaline coursed throughout my body, igniting every nerve._

"Rayleigh, watch out!" _I heard Bellamy warn._

 _A second later something struck me in the shoulder and I fell off the sandbag pile, landing on my back. I screamed as the wind was knocked out of me, rolling on my side. I coughed and blood filled my mouth. Despite the burning pain in my chest and shoulder, I stood tall and fired an arrow. It struck a Grounder in the throat and his body crumpled to the ground._

 _My eyes locked with Bellamy's, and he nodded. I focused on his lips, him telling me he needed me to live. I shook my head and he protested. I mouthed 'I need you'. His eyes reflected pain, mirroring my own. He jerked his head slightly and then I was lifted from the ground by Miller._

"You can't save everyone." _he said in my ear._ "We need you Princess Commander."

 _I knew he was right but I was still looking at Bellamy as Finn helped him to his feet. Our eyes locked from across the battlefield, his lips moving, mouthing the words everyone on the Ark knew all to well. I closed my eyes and heard his voice speak them._ "May we meet again."

"May we meet again." _I repeated, opening my eyes and catching his gaze once more. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. Not knowing what my future held, I spoke four words, hoping he caught them. "_ Bellamy, I love you."

 _The apparent leader stalked towards me, his dark eyes set in a glare. I pulled an arrow catching the lilac tone by the fire's glow and lined it up, taking aim. Just as I released the arrow, something small and pointed struck me in the sternum. I hit the metal at the same time the Grounder I shot in the heart hit the ground._

I shot up, gasping for air. My head whipped in all directions, and I had no idea where the hell I was. A rapid beeping sounded and I quickly found it's source, an EKG machine was registering my accelerated heartbeat. I yanked the wires from the bottom, shutting it off, before pulling the electrodes from my body. There was a small needle in my arm, attached to an empty blood-bag. I grabbed some gauze padding from the end table and removed it, tying ace wrap to keep the gauze in place.

After my heartbeat died down I ran my fingers over my hair, catching my breath. Wherever I was, it sure as hell wasn't the drop ship or any stations of the Ark. I went to caress my ring, only to feel nothing there. A sharp pain came from my shoulder and I noticed the knife wound was stitched up, professionally; the same for the dagger wound in my sternum. "Where the hell am I?" I asked aloud.

I jumped out of the bed, hearing a loud clanking noise behind me. I grabbed a scalpel and hid behind the wall, seeing state-of-the-art computers along the wall opposite me. The sound of accelerated footsteps approached me and as soon as someone turned the corner, I jumped them, pinning a red-haired girl to the floor, the scalpel blade pressed against her carotid artery.

"Who are you?" I demanded. "Where are my people? Where the hell are we?"

The girl beneath me recoiled. "I'm Cassandra Emerson." she answered. "Your people are safe. You're inside Mount Weather."

I panted. "Mount Weather." I repeated.

Cassandra swallowed. "Please get the blade away from my carotid artery." she begged.

I jumped off her, bracing myself against the wall, still clutching the scalpel. Cassandra caught her breath. "It's okay Rayleigh, you're safe." she said calmly. "I can take you to your people, if you'd like."

"How many?" I asked. "How many of my people are here?"

Cassandra licked her lips. "You and 47 others." she replied. "Your sister, Clarke, among them."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "Thank God." I ran my fingers through my hair, finally taking in everything around me. First of all, I was in a white spaghetti strap tank top and matching shorts, I had three new scars; one on my left shoulder, one directly under my breasts, and a small puncture near the top of my ribs on the left side.

"My people helped save you." Cassandra informed, her hands folded in front of her. "Your surgery lasted quite a while."

"Why bother saving us at all?" I asked, walking back to the main hall where all the beds were. "You don't even know us."

She stood beside me, "It was the right thing to do." she answered.

Again I reached to caress the ring that was around my neck, and then remembered it wasn't there. "Where's my necklace?" I questioned, my hand resting just under my neck. "It's a silver chain with a copper ring in the middle."

"I'm sorry but, you weren't wearing a necklace when they brought you in." Cassandra apologized. "Was it important?"

I nodded, sitting on the bed. "Very." I muttered.

Cassandra stepped forward, swallowing before sitting down next to me. "Did Bellamy give it to you?"

My head snapped in her direction, "How do you know that name?" I asked.

"You kept saying it while you were unconscious." she informed. "The same name, Bellamy. Your heart rate also jumped a couple beats shortly after." I looked down at my bare feet, biting my lip. "Who's Bellamy?"

Before I could answer, the large metal doors opened and I looked over my shoulder, and saw a male stride up to us. He had dark brown hair and eyes to match, pale skin, appeared to be in his late 30's and was of average height for that age. "So our last patient awakes." he noted. "Welcome to Mount Weather, Rayleigh Griffin."

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, immediately going on to the defensive.

The man chuckled, "My apologies. I'm Cage Wallace." he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi." I shook his hand for a quick second before pulling it away.

"I'll bring you a trunk of clothes so you can change." Cassandra offered, leaving me alone with this Cage guy.

"That's our Cassie, always so sweet." Cage noted, folding his arms over his chest, looking me over. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Right now, I just want to see my friends." I answered, crossing my arms over my chest, staring Cage down. "Cassandra told me that there's 48 of us in here. But I know there's more of my people out there."

"I can assure you, Rayleigh, that we have security patrols out there right now looking for more survivors." Cage stated, taking a step towards me. "As of right now, they haven't found any."

"I need to get back to the drop ship." I informed. "There's a girl, Raven, she'll die if I don't help her. She was shot, she needs medical attention."

Cage shook his head, "The 48 of you the unit brought here was all they found at your ship."

"Did they bother looking inside?" I questioned. "She was shot! A bullet's in her spine, she can barely move let alone walk."

"I'm sorry, but no one matching those injuries was found." Cage apologized.

My heart constricted in my chest as my breathing labored. "I promised her I'd help." I mumbled, taking a step back. "Raven. Finn. Bellamy." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling.

"I know you're angry right now, but your friends that are here, they've been worried about you." Cage placed his hand on my shoulder.

Cassandra smiled and rolled a large trunk towards me. "Here's a selection of clothes." she offered. "Once you change, I'll take you to your friends."

"I just tried to kill you." I reminded. "Why be so nice to me?"

"It's understandable that you reacted that way, given what's happened to you." she noted. "I won't hold it against you." her lips curled into a forgiving smile.

I slowly opened the trunk and gasped at the clothes inside. I browsed through the selection, my eyes immediately darting to a black, leather mini-skirt. I grabbed that, along with a leopard print tank top and black boots that went a couple inches above the knees. Grabbing the clothes bundle I slipped behind the wall and stripped out of the white tank and shorts.

I re-joined Cage and Cassandra, who was tossing the sheets and blankets from the bed I was in into a basket.

"Wow, nice choice." Cassandra complimented.

I looked down and bit my lip, "It called to me." I defended.

She held up her hands in defense, "I would've picked it too." she agreed.

"It suits you." Cage added. "Dinner's in twenty minutes. I'll see you in the mess hall." he turned on his heels and left.

"A real charmer." I muttered, fluffing out my hair. "So, you said you'd take me to my people." I turned to Cassandra, who nodded.

"Right this way." she motioned for me to follow, which I did. She dumped the sheets into a laundry shoot on our way out.

* * *

Cassandra, or Cassie as she preferred, led me down a hallway and stopped at an elevator, swiping a card in front of a reader for the doors to open. We stepped into the elevator and she pressed the button labeled Lv5.

"So, you never did exactly tell me who Bellamy is." she noted, looking over at me, her dark green eyes curious.

I went to answer, but stopped. "Isn't there someone named Bellamy in the group of my people here?" I raised an eyebrow.

Cassie shook her head. "No, afraid not."

My heart sank in my chest as I leaned against the back of the elevator, catching my breath. "What about a guy named Finn?" I questioned. Cassie shook her head again. "No." I muttered, biting my lip to suppress the tears.

"Is Bellamy someone important? And this Finn guy?" she asked.

I placed my hand over my heart, feeling it pound inside my chest. I closed my eyes, picturing Bellamy standing opposite me on the battlefield, our eyes locked with one another's. So close, yet so far.

"Rayleigh?" Cassie questioned.

I licked my lips, regulating my breathing. "Bellamy's my boyfriend." I answered. "He's the strongest man I know."

"Did he give you that necklace you mentioned?" she pressed.

I shook my head. "No. My father did." I closed my eyes, my dad's smile flashing through my mind. "Right before he was floated." I suppressed the urge to cry. "It was the engagement ring he made for my mom before he proposed. It was the last thing of either of my parents I had left."

"I'm sorry." Cassie apologized. "My parents are both gone too. I just have my brother and my two nephews." a smile crossed her lips. "Carl, my brother, he's actually the one who brought you to the medical wing. He's a lieutenant in the security here."

"Well, tell him thanks, I guess." I replied, keeping pace with her. "I just can't believe we finally made it here. We were originally supposed to land on Mount Weather, getting things prepared so the rest of the Ark could come down." I tucked some hair behind my ear. "But, something happened and the ship landed off course."

"Well, you're all here now, safe and sound." Cassie chuckled. "You're guests here and are welcome to stay as long as you want." she patted my shoulder. "Tell you what, give me a description of what Bellamy looks like and I'll pass it to my brother, so he'll be on the lookout next time he goes out."

I stopped, "You'd really do that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cassie nodded. "Of course." she answered. "I can recognize a woman in love."

I felt my cheeks flush as I cleared my throat, smoothing out the leather skirt. I actually looked myself over.

"You do look great, by the way." Cassie complimented again.

I chuckled, "I haven't really dressed up before. Never really had a reason to." I continued to follow her down the hall. "The last time I did was my sweet-sixteen. My dad had dresses made for Clarke and I, and we wore them all day."

"Did Bellamy like it?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, we weren't together on the Ark." I informed. "Actually, back then, we were just friends. He was a Cadet and I was a MedBay intern. We had only known each other about three weeks before I turned sixteen." I licked my lips. "Although, he did give me something."

Cassie's smile only grew. "Tell me, I wanna know." she prided.

I rolled my eyes and grinned. "An old paperback copy of _Romeo & Juliet_."

"So he has a romantic side." Cassie noted. "Sounds like a keeper."

"He's the reason we all survived as long." I admitted. "He saved my life."

Cassie led me to a large steel door. "Your friends are all in here. This is where you can stay." she glanced at me. "You have a lot faith in Bellamy."

I met her dark green eyes. "I love him." I admitted, glancing through the small glass windows on the door.

Cassie took my arm, "Ready to see your people?" she asked. I nodded.

* * *

She opened the door and led me inside. The room was huge, with bunk beds lining the walls, complete with nightstands between them. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I giggled and placed my hands on my hips, "Come on guys, you wouldn't last three minutes without me."

Fox ran towards me and threw her arms around my waist. "You're alive." she cried.

I hugged her back, brushing her bangs from her face. "Of course I am. I'd never leave you guys."

Cheers erupted throughout the group as people hugged me and slapped my shoulders. I saw Monty in the crowd and hugged him, sighing in relief. "Oh Monty, I knew you were okay."

"I missed you too Ray." he replied, patting my back.

"Our savior!" Jasper announced, holding my arm up in the air. "Hail our Princess Commander!" he wrapped his arms around me.

I grinned and rubbed his back. "Thanks Jasper." I chuckled, punching his shoulder likely. "You fired the rockets, so we should be thanking you."

Jasper bowed, "I live to serve thee." he laughed.

"Rayleigh." Clarke gasped, the crowd parting as she stepped forward.

"Clarke." I ran to her and wrapped her in my arms. She buried her face in my shoulder, embracing me as tightly as I was her. I smoothed out her hair, rubbing her back soothingly. "I love you sis."

"I love you too." she replied, pulling away.

* * *

As a group we headed to the mess hall, where we occupied an entire table. Everyone stood up and held hands as President Dante Wallace gave the blessing. "For the past and the future we serve."

"We give thanks." everyone else replied.

"Good health, good food, and good company." Dante continued. "And the blessing of new friends." he looked to me and Clarke.

"We give thanks." everyone repeated before taking their seats.

Clarke sat to my left and Monty at my right. In front of me was a stew of some kind that smelled delicious; it tasted ten times better. I looked around and saw Cassie sitting next to a small boy, wiping his chin. Her eyes found me and she waved and smiled. I returned the gesture. Next to me, Clarke was hesitating, almost as if she was trying to not enjoy herself.

I placed my hand over hers, "Everything's gonna be okay." I assured. "Bellamy, Finn, and everyone else, they're fine." her eyes met mine. "Have a little faith."

"Okay." Clarke replied, taking her water glass.

I kissed her temple and continued eating my dinner.

* * *

When we got back to the dorm, I found a medium sized black box in the middle of my bed; the bunk above my sister's. A note with my name on it was folded on the top. I climbed the ladder and leaned against the pillows, opening the note.

 _I know it's not exactly like what you lost, but maybe you could wear it in place until you're reunited with the real thing._

 _-Cassie._

Inside the box was a silver necklace, but instead of a ring attached to it, a charm was. The charm was a name in calligraphic writing; Bellamy. I ran my finger over each letter, closing my eyes and picturing his face. Something poked me from under the pillows, and when I pulled it out, it was a paperback copy of _Romeo & Juliet_.

"Thanks Cassie." I murmured, clasping the necklace around my neck.

I flipped the book open and started reading, remembering the time Bellamy read it to me back on the Ark when we both had the same day off. I could hear his voice as I read the books prologue.


	3. Inclement Weather

**Inclement Weather**

* * *

I laid on my stomach, reading _Romeo & Juliet _as everyone else did their own thing. My blonde hair was pulled into a low braid was draped over my shoulder and I was perfectly comfortable in a pair of back yoga pants and a navy blue crop top. The doors to the dorm opened and Maya and Cassie came inside, along with a newly released Miller.

"Look who finally got released." one of the delinquents called.

I looked up from my book and sighed in relief, marking my place and jumping down from the top bunk. "Miller." I greeted, hugging him. "I'm glad you're okay." I pulled away and stepped back.

He nodded in agreement. "Only took, what, three surgeries?" he questioned, glancing at Cassie and Maya. "It's great to see you too Rayleigh. I heard you had a close call."

I shrugged. "Would've been closer if you hadn't half-carried me into the ship." I reminded. "You saved me, thanks."

He placed his hand on my shoulder, "Bellamy wouldn't forgive me if I let you die." he noted. His eyes drifted to Clarke, who was standing next to me. "I hear you're fitting right in."

Cassie chuckled and handed Miller a medication bottle. "Twice a day." she told him. "You'll be fine in a few days."

He nodded and set his stuff down on a bunk near where Monty and Jasper were sleeping. Cassie leaned against the bunk bed I shared with Clarke. "Adjusting well?" she asked me, as Maya walked off with Jasper.

I nodded. "Yeah." I answered. "Thanks for the necklace, and the book." I added, caressing the nameplate dangling from the silver chain.

"No problem." Cassie gave me a smile and a gentle nudge. "If there's anything else, don't-" she was cut off when an alarm started blaring.

"What's going on?" Clarke asked.

"That signal means the surface patrol is back and someone needs medical attention." Cassie answered. "Maya, let's go!" she waved over the younger girl. "We've got to go to quarantine."

"Then we're going to." Clarke added as Maya and Cassie left the dorm. She grabbed my wrist and headed after them.

"Hey, Clarke." Jasper halted. "What are you doing?"

"Maybe they found survivors." Clarke answered. "If our people are hurt, we have a right to know."

She pulled me along as she followed Cassie and Maya. I yanked my wrist free and kept up, with Jasper following close behind us.

* * *

We found Cassie and Maya, who were stepping into hazmat suits. They were with a few others, and I just caught the last bit of their conversation. "He's still in decon, but he'll need treatment as soon as he's processed through."

"Who attacked them?" Clarke asked, storming up to them.

"What are they doing here?" one of the guards asked.

Clarke ran for the door leading into quarantine, snatching someone's key card to get the door open.

"Hey, stop!" one of them called. "It's not safe!"

"It is for us." Clarke reminded, pushing the door open. I sighed heavily and ran after her.

"Ray. Clarke. Slow down!" Jasper called after us. "Stop pushing so hard. These people are-"

We ran into a room where a body was covered in plastic. "Are lying to us." Clarke finished, showing us the wound. "That's a bullet wound."

"Grounders don't use guns." I noted, nodding my head.

"Unless the Grounders got the guns from us." Jasper threw out.

"I don't think so." Clarke rebuked. "I think our people are alive out there."

We turned to leave and ran into Dr. Tsing, also in a hazmat suit. "Get out of here" she ordered.

Two more people helped in the officer who was still alive. My jaw dropped slightly as I took note of the radiation burns on his face, chest, and arms. "Oh my God." I gasped.

"Let's go girls." Jasper urged, practically shoving us out of the room. The door slammed shut behind us. "So, who's hungry? I know I am." he walked ahead of us.

"After seeing that, I think I lost my appetite." I muttered, following Jasper with Clarke next to me.

"I'm confronting Dante about this." Clarke stated, looking my way. "They're lying to us Rayleigh, I know they are."

"Okay, but try not to be to forward." I advised, making her stop to look at me.

Clarke scoffed. "You don't believe me, do you?" she asked.

I opened my mouth, then quickly shut it. "I believe you think they're lying." I answered, and she rolled her eyes. "Clarke, believe me, I want to find the others too." I admitted. "The man I love is out there, dying for all I know. But, you don't see me second guessing every breath these people take." I caught my breath. "Confront Dante if you think it'll help, I won't stop you. Just, before you accuse them of anything further, make sure you have evidence to back it up."

I walked ahead to the mess hall, sitting at a table in the corner by a small bookshelf. I found an old book of crossword puzzles and decided to try one out. I flipped to a fresh page and found the category interesting; Horror Movies.

"One across; popular Stephen King movie set in a hotel, two words." I read off, tapping the pen to my lip. "The Shining, duh." I wrote it down in the boxes. "Four down, five words before last summer, staring with 'I'." I rolled my eyes. "I Know What You Did Last Summer. And they think this is hard."

Clarke walked up to me. "Dante said we can see Shaw's body." she informed. "Come on."

I sighed and stood up, keeping the crossword puzzle book in hand. "Lead the way." I offered.

* * *

Dante led us back to the white room we came from earlier and we waited for Tsing to bring the body in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." she apologized, wheeling in the body. "We had to finish decontamination."

"Thank you, Dr. Tsing." Dante said.

"The man with the burns, how is he?" I asked, trying to sound concerned.

Dr. Tsing met my eyes, "He's improving." she answered. "Thank you for the concern."

"I-we'd like to talk to him." Clarke stammered motining to me.

Dr. Tsing looked at Dante, "Sir, only patients are allowed in Medical." she reminded.

"We can arrange for you to talk." Dante agreed.

Dr. Tsing pulled the blanket off of Shaw's body, revealing a small wound in his chest, an inch under a metal cap of some sort. I examined closely, "What is this?" I questioned.

"It's a dialysis shunt." Tsing answered. "We all have them in case of exposure."

I nodded and then focused on the puncture wound beneath it. It looked small in diameter and could've come from a bullet, or an arrow, or even a spear.

"Would you like to see the exit wound?" Tsing asked, already turning Shaw's body on it's side, with the help of Dante. "Sergeant Langston was forced to push the arrow out in the field." she informed, showing me and Clarke the exit wound. It looked identical to the one on the front of the body.

"That would have to be a long arrow." Clarke muttered, leaning back.

"We've got it right here." Tsing informed, handing me a plastic bag with a bloody arrow tip inside. It was metal with a fine point, which would explain the small entry and exit wounds. "Is that all?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you." I answered, taking Clarke's hand.

* * *

"What did President Wallace say?" Jasper asked, as Clarke and I entered the dorm.

"He showed us Shaw's body." I informed, walking to the bunk beds Clarke and I shared.

Clarke rolled her eyes, sitting on her bed. "It looked like an arrow wound."

"Well, maybe because it is an arrow wound." Jasper noted.

"Or that's what they want us to think." Clarke rebuked. I rolled my eyes and set the crossword book on my bed. "They could have doctored it." she added.

Jasper sighed, leaning against the bed frame next to me. "Clarke, you sound like a crazy person." he admitted. "Why do you want to screw this up for us?"

"I don't know what this is." Clarke admitted, running her hands over her hair.

"This is safe." Jasper answered. "This is food, a real bed, clothes, and my personal favorite not getting speared by Grounders." he shook his head. "How long do you think they'll let us stay here if you keep this up?"

Clarke's body tensed as she stood up. "Did someone threaten you?" she asked, looking Jasper in the eyes.

He shook his head. "No. It's common sense." he rebuked. "Look, we're guests here, not prisoners." he reminded. "What would you do with a guest who kept calling you a liar and generally acted like an ungrateful ass?"

"Kick the ungrateful ass out." Miller interjected.

"Did we ask you?" I questioned, glancing in his direction and raised an eyebrow.

"Right now, biggest threat to us is you." Jasper admitted, his eyes never leaving Clarke's.

My sister sighed and walked off, leaving me with the two guys. I shook my head and played with my necklace, sighing heavily.

"Rayleigh." Jasper shook my shoulder, "You zoned out." I met his eyes. "Tell me you agree. This place is safe for us."

My shoulders sank. "Jasper." I muttered, "I'd be lying if I said a part of me didn't want to leave." My hands fell to my sides. "We still have friends out there. Finn. Monroe. Sterling. Raven. Octavia. Bellamy." I listed. "Who knows how they are, Raven was dying last I saw her. She could be dead already, as could the others." I shuddered.

Jasper placed his hands on my shoulders, "I know you're worried about them." he soothed. "Especially Bellamy since you two are-"

"I love him Jasper." I cut off, moisture welling in my ears. "The last thing I saw was a Grounder beating him to death. Who knows how serious his injuries were?" I added. "He could be slowly dying, only pushing himself to find us. "

Jasper pulled me into a friendly embrace, rubbing my back. "C'mon, Bellamy's the strongest of all of us." he reminded. "He's alive. Once the security details find him and bring him here, you two can-"

I pulled away, wiping the tears that fell from my eyes. "You know Bellamy would hate being cooped up in here." I told him. "He'd be twice as bad as Clarke." I took a shuddering breath, "I need some time to think."

I grabbed the crossword book from my bed and left the dorm.

* * *

Around lunchtime, we all gathered in the mess hall, everyone doing their own thing. Clarke and I sat together in the corner, her studying her map and me filling in the horror movie crossword. I heard someone call the name Langston and my head shot up, seeing the security guard I saw earlier; the one with severe radiation burns, walk past us almost completely healed.

"Doc says I've got one more treatment." he told his buddies as he left.

Clarke's jaw dropped and she turned to look at me. "You see that?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I see it." I confirmed.

We followed Langston and saw him get into the elevator. Clarke grabbed my hand and we made our way back to the empty dorm, casually walking inside.

I saw the look in her eyes, the intense thinking look. "What're you thinking?" I asked, leaning against our bunk beds.

"Only patients are allowed in Medical." Clarke reminded, a dangerous look on her face.

Before I could object, Clarke ripped her stitches out by cutting them on the beds hinges, wincing in pain and biting back a scream. Big sister instincts kicked in and I grabbed a dark scarf and wrapped it around her arm.

"Take me to Medical, now." Clarke said, breathing through the pain.

"Okay." I agreed, helping her out of the dorm. "Nice plan, next time clue me in."

* * *

Clarke feigned unconsciousness as Dr. Tsing re-stitched her arm. I sat in a chair by the bed, creating the perfect lie about how she 'accidentally' cut her arm on the beds hinges as she reached for something.

"Thanks doc." I said sweetly, my legs crossed.

"Since you're family, you can stay." Dr. Tsing told me, patting my shoulder.

I nodded and turned to watch Clarke fake-sleep. As soon as the large metal doors closed, her eyes snapped open and she sat up.

"Count your blessings I'm a wonderful liar." I told her, shaking my head. "This better be worth it."

"You want solid evidence, I'll get you some." Clarke promised, heading over to the bed Langston was sleeping in. She shook his shoulders but he never woke up. He must've been sedated for the transfusion process.

I followed the blood tubes and saw them connected to a large pipe on the wall. Clarke and I followed it, all the way to the far wall. "Maybe you're seeing demons where there aren't any." I admitted, rubbing my sister's shoulder. "We have been through a lot since landing here, maybe it's a form of PTSD."

"Do not try to psychoanalyze me sis." Clarke snapped, her eyes narrowed in my direction. "They're up to something. Like, where is that blood coming from?"

I shook my head and looked up, twisting my braid around my finger. My eyes located an open vent on the wall and I narrowed my eyes get a better look. "Okay, that's a little suspicious." I noted.

Clarke moved an end table to get more height, prying the grate off. "C'mon, let's check it out." she suggested, climbing inside.

"The things I do for you." I muttered, following her.

* * *

The vent led us to a chamber of some sort, and I held my hand over my mouth to suppress a gasp. The first thing that caught my eyes were the two Grounders strung up by their feet and the tubes draining their blood into a machine. I turned around and saw the many cages, filled with Grounders.

"Okay, you're right." I admitted. "This place isn't all it's cracked up to be."

We slowly walked down the isle between two columns of cages. I looked down and saw a Grounder, a female, leaning against her cage. There was something familiar about her that made me kneel down to get a better look, I recognized those dark brown eyes.

"Anya?" I questioned.


	4. Repercussions

**Repercussions**

* * *

I was horrified but what I saw and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. I mean, I wasn't the Grounders' biggest fan, but what was happening to them was inhumane. Sure, they might be a bit savage and quick to shed blood, but they weren't wild animals that should be locked up waiting to be slaughtered, especially not a strong-spirited warrior like Anya, whom I respected as a leader.

"I'm gonna get you out of here." I vowed, keeping my eyes locked with Anya's. I glanced at Clarke, "Find me something to pry this lock loose."

She nodded and jumped up, returning with a pipe of some kind. Using our combined strength, we pried the lock from Anya's cage, opening the door and helping her out. The door opened and Clarke and I climbed into the cage, pulling our knees up to our chests.

I peeked through the grid and saw Dr. Tsing walk over to a cooler filled with blood bags. The caged Grounds started making noise, getting her attention. I cast a glance down and saw the lock in plain view, if she ever noticed us we'd be in big trouble. Thankfully, before Dr. Tsing could see Anya's cage, one of the Grounders grabbed her hair and she turned and walked off.

I sighed heavily once she left. "Ok, we've gotta go." I muttered, slowly opening the cage door, brushing myself off.

Clarke and I helped Anya and we frantically searched for another way out. Supporting Anya, we carried her to a door with a sign that read 'End Containment Area' and pried it open, ducking inside a small concrete room.

The iron door shut behind us, locking us inside. A second later, an alarm starting blaring, making Clarke step away from the door. "What is that?" Anya asked, now standing on her own.

I looked over to her, "I don't-" I was cut off when the floor underneath us opened, sending us sliding down and landing on something.

* * *

I shook off the shock, catching my breath. When I looked down to see what we landed on, I bit my lip to avoid screaming. Underneath us was a cart full of dead Grounders. I scrambled to the side and helped Clarke jump out. "Anya!" I called, holding out my arm, "Take my hand."

She grasped it and we jumped out of the mine cart, landing on solid ground. I looked around and it appeared to me that we were in a cave of some kind. "We're out?" I questioned, out of breath.

"Come on, get dressed." Clarke said, tossing me some clothes she found in a pile near the cave wall. "We can't cover any ground like this."

Anya looked over the side of the cart, leaning against it. "I won't leave my people behind." she stated.

I grabbed her shoulder. "Anya, listen to me." I told her, getting her eyes to meet mine. "My people are still inside that place, too, but they have guards." I reminded. "They have weapons. Once we get out of here, we can find help. We can-"

"There is no 'we'." she cut off, narrowing her dark eyes. Sounds in the distance caught her attention, her head snapping to look ahead of us. "Someone's coming." her body tensed up in defense.

"Not just someone." Clarke noted, gulping. "Reapers."

My mind instantly flashed back to that night, when the Grounders attacked our camp. The chilling war cry of the Reapers as they fought the Grounder army before they broke down our wall.

Anya moved to stand next to me, ready to fight. Her body swerved to the side and I caught her, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "Anya, you can't fight." I noted. "You can hardly stand."

"Come on, I've got a better idea." Clarke motioned towards another mine cart, leading Anya and me towards it.

"We're going back into the cart of dead bodies?" I questioned, looking at my sister. "That's your plan?"

"Trust me." Clarke pleaded, tossing some clothes into the cart for Anya.

The Reapers were getting closer so I just jumped inside, bracing myself against the side. The cart was empty except for Anya, Clarke, and I. At least it was, until the Reapers tossed in a few more bodies on top of us. I buried my face into Clarke's shoulder blade as she pressed her back against me, gripping my forearm. Soon, the cart started moving, and it took all my willpower not to make a sound. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the cart to stop.

* * *

When it finally did, I kept still as the bodies were taken off me. Only when I couldn't hear the Reapers, did I sigh in relief. I jumped out of the mine cart and helped Clarke next.

"Clarke, next time, think of a plan that doesn't end up with us covered in corpses." I snapped in a whisper.

"We're alive, now let's go." Clarke replied, slipping out the yellow hospital gown.

I yanked off my crop-top and slid on the tight-fitted, long-sleeved, black shirt. My yoga pants slid off easily and were replaced with long pants that were made of some kind of heavy material with chains hanging from the belt loops. I slipped into the boots, which reached up to my knees, and I pulled out what remained of my braid.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Anya was still in the mine cart, caressing the cheek of one of the Grounders, who was apparently still alive. "Anya, come on." I hurried.

She muttered something in her language before mercy killing the Grounder. I offered her my hand, but she climbed out on her own. Anya quickly slid into the boots, pants, and jacket Clarke found and we ran down the tunnles. My heart pounded in my ears every step of the way, my body pushing itself so I could live.

It felt like hours once we stopped to rest. "Damn." I cursed, kicking a rock out of my way. "This place is a goddamn labyrinth." I rested my hands on my knees, catching my breath.

"What are they doing to us?" Anya asked, not showing any outward signs of fatigue other than her laborted breathing.

I flipped my hair back and faced her. "They're using your blood." I answered.

Clarke nodded, moving to stand beside me. "We," she motioned between her and I "saw a soldier come in with radiation burns. Hours later, he was fine." she added. "I've never seen anything like it."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "It's like your blood is healing them somehow." I threw out. "Okay, we have to keep moving."

"This way." Clarke called, running ahead.

I went to follow and noticed Anya turning around. I grabbed her arm, halting her. "Hey. What the hell are you thinking?" I asked. "That's the way back to the Reapers."

"You go your way, I'll go mine." Anya replied, yanking her arm from my grip.

"Anya, we need to stick together." I advised.

"I told you there is no 'we'." she retorted, her dark eyes narrowed into a glare.

I met her glare with my own. "I saved your life." I reminded her.

"You saved my life because you need me." Anya pointed out, taking a step towards me. "I know the way back to your people. I know where the traps are hidden." with every step forwad she took, I took a step back. "You'd never make it alone."

"We don't have time for this." Clarke scoffed, turning on her heels. "Our best chance of making it out of here alive is together." I followed her as she continued. "All we can do is keep moving and hope-"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Anya was gone. "Anya?" I muttered, looking around. "Damnit!"

So Clarke and I wandered amelessly through the tunnels, listening for the Reapers. "Again, this place is a fucking maze." I cursed, bracing against the cave wall, peering around the side to see if the coast was clear.

"We'll find a way out." Clarke assured. "We always do."

I nodded and we continued on. However, the next corner we turned, we saw torchlight coming towards us. We went to turn back and more torchlight was heading our way. "Oh, no." I breathed.

"No." Clarke whimpered. "Reapers."

We braced ourselves against the cave wall, but that just made it easier for the Reapers to corner us. Seeing their faces up close reminded of fereal animals that I read about. Blood covered their mouths and chins, it stained their teeth and clothes, and the look in their eyes screamed hunger. I clasped my sister's hand and squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for these monsters to rip me apart.

Suddenly, a high-pitched noise echoed throughout the tunnels, causing the Reapers to back away from us. "Get back!" a muffled voice ordered. "Get the hell away from them! Now!"

Four people in hazmat suits ran in front of us, shining flashlights in our eyes. "Rayleigh and Clarke Griffin, you're coming with us." the other one ordered.

The two Mount Weather guards grabbed my arms and the other two grabbed my sister's, leading us back the way we came. I watched the guards closely, but they never once looked down at us.

* * *

"We saw everything." Clarke reminded, as the guards led us closer to the door leading back inside. "We know what you're doing to them."

"That's why you two are going in the harvest chamber with them." one of the guards informed. He released his grip on my arm and pressed a button by the door. "Alpha-Delta Two, we've reached the intake. Two prisoners in custody."

"Your mission was to bring back all three of them." a voice said on the other side. "The outsider cannot be allowed to leave this mountain. Alpha-Delta One is coming out now."

"No way I'm going back in that hellhole to die." I noted, stomping on the foot of the other guard holding me. He released his grip and I threw him aside, going for the two holding my sister. I ripped off one's mask and he started gasping for breath. One guard came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my neck. I reared my head back and flipped him over my shoulder, grabbing Clarke's arm and keeping myself between her and the guards.

"Ray here!" she yelled, tossing me sword that was laying by the carts.

I pulled the blade out, noting the serated edge of the blade. The guard that alerted Mount Weather of our return came towards me, and I swung the blade in his direction, slicing through his hazmat suit and his normal clothes, a long line of red staining his chest. The remaning two tried to subdue me and Clarke, but she removed one's mask while I managed to stab the other right in the heart.

"Let's go!" Clarke called.

The last guard, the one who's mask was removed by Clarke, slowly approached me. "You're not locking us up again." I threatened, stabbing him. I looked into his eyes as his body crumpled to the ground.

Footsteps sounded behind us and my body whipped around, sword ready. Anya stood a few feet away from us, "I found a way out." she informed. "This way." I grabbed Clarke's arm and ran after Anya.

* * *

Sunlight shone into the cave as we got closer to the exit. Anya stopped by the ledge, looking down. Her way out was down a waterfall.

"There has to be another way." I told her, looking in her direction.

"There isn't." Anya replied.

"Just give up, girls." one guard from the second detail ordered, his unit blocking the way back. "You have no place else to go."

Anya jumped off the ledge, disappearing into the crystal water below. "Anya!" Clarke and I called, our jaws dropping.

"We don't have to kill you." the guard continued. "It doesn't have to end like this."

We turned and faced them, my hand tightening around the sword hilt. "Drop your weapon and put your hands up." another guard ordered.

I glanced in Clarke's direction, "You trust me, right?" I asked.

Clarke's eyes met mine, "More than anything." she answered, her voice low. "Ray, what're we gonna do?"

I turned to face her and she did the same. Her blue eyes quivering with fear and uncertainty. I pulled her close, holding the back of her head in my hand. Her arms wrapped around my back in response. I took a deep breath and exhaled, "Listen to me Clarke." I whispered in her ear, "You're strong. You're bold. And you're brave." I embraced her tightly. "You were right about this place all along. You were right about everything. Our people are out there." I pulled away and cupped her face. "Find them and get help."

Her eyes welled with moisture, "Rayleigh, what are you saying?" she asked, her voice cracking.

I caressed her cheeks, "This is where we part for now." I answered, keeping my emotions inside. Clarke shook her head, bracing her hands on my shoulders. "It's gonna be okay." I assured, keeping my eyes locked with hers. "Find Bellamy and the others. Formulate a plan. Get us out."

"No." she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

I wrapped her in my arms, rubbing her back. "When you find Bellamy, give him a message for me." I closed my eyes, taking a shuddering breath. "Tell him that I love him."

Clarke's fingers fisted the fabric of my shirt, her shoulders heaving. I felt her head nod in understanding. "I love you big sister." she muttered into my shoulder.

I pushed her back, wiping the stray tears that fell from her eyes. "I love you too, little sister." I replied, kissing her forehead. I touched mine to hers, sighing heavily. "May we meet again." I shoved the sword, now sheathed, into her hand.

"May we meet again." Clarke repeated, sniffling. With one last glance between the two of us, she jumped down the waterfall and I stepped forward, hands held up in surrender.

* * *

I couldn't help but see the symmetry in my new predicament. Four officers escorting me to a prison sentence. Only instead of me being on the Ark, I'm on Earth, inside Mount Weather. When we came to the intake door, Cage Wallace stood in front of us, also in a hazmat suit.

"So the Princess Commander surrenders." he stated, a cocky grin on his face, which I saw through the mask.

"So what are you gonna do?" I asked, flipping my hair back. "You gonna string me up and bleed me dry, then feed me to the Reapers?"

Cage chuckled. "Actually no." he stepped forward, taking my chin in his rubber-gloved hand, pulling my face up to meet his. "I have something else planned for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Forget it." I scoffed. "I already have a boyfriend." I narrowed my eyes into a dagger glare.

Cage's eyes drifted to my necklace, the silver nameplate dangling over my chest. "I know." he replied. "Now either he must be very strong and brave, the epitome of perfect in your eyes." he chuckled. "Or, he's the type of guy who gets off on being controlled by strong women." a smirk crossed his lips.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" I screamed, lunging forward. The guards held me back. "Don't talk about Bellamy like that. He's twice the man you'll ever be!"

Cage slugged me across the face. "So there is fire inside of you." he noted. "Good."

I licked the blood from my lip before spitting it onto the cave floor. "Something tells me you're the one who gets off on strong women." I chuckled dryly, looking at him.

One of the guards kicked the back of my knee and I fell to the ground. I felt a pinch in my neck, followed by a numbing cold sensation slowly making its way through my body.

"Put her with the other leader we have prisoner." Cage ordered, his voice starting to echo around me. "We'll break her soon enough."

I cast a glance to the side and saw the vial containing the drug they just shot me up with. "Ketamine." I noted, licking my lips. "You're that scared I'll kick your asses you had to use that strong of tranquilizer? You must really be scared of me and what I'm capable of."

The guards lifted me to my feet, and I kept my eyes locked with Cage's as best I could. He smirked behind his mask. "Well, after I'm done with you, we won't need the drug to subdue you." he promised. "You'll be so broken you won't have the strength the argue, let alone free your people."

I could feel the drug working its way through my system. "Throw her in decontamination." Cage barked, his words drowning together. "Then put her with the other prisoner."

My head lowered and everything darkened. I felt my body being half-dragged out of the tunnel and back inside Mount Weather. I heard the buzzer sound as the intake door locked behind us before I lost sense of everything.


	5. Many Happy Returns

**Many Happy Returns**

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

While the 47 remaining members of the Hundred were inside Mount Weather, seemingly out of harm's way, Bellamy and his group of survivors snuck away from Camp Jaha in the middle of the night thanks to the help of Sergeant David Miller and Abby Griffin. Before he left, Bellamy made a promise to Abby; that he'd bring her daughters home.

The sun shone overhead as Bellamy, Finn, Monroe, Sterling, and a handcuffed Murphy hiked through the dense woods. "All right, Murphy. Where to now?" Bellamy asked, his eyes narrowed at the traitor.

Murphy stopped and held his wrists up, What say we lose these first, huh?" he bargained, a snide smirk on his face.

Bellamy shook his head, "No." he rejected, continuing ahead behind Finn.

"If we get attacked out here, I have nothing to defend myself with." Murphy pointed out, making Bellamy stop once more.

"I don't care." he admitted, eyes still glaring.

Finn turned around and cut the restraints from Murphy's wrists, walking ahead his face set hard and emotionless. Bellamy caught up to him, "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"It was your idea to bring him." Finn reminded, not making eye contact.

"Yeah, because he's the only one who's seen where the Grounders keep their prisoners." Bellamy defended.

Finn cast a quick glance at Bellamy. "Then we probably shouldn't let him be defenseless out here." he noted. "We can handle Murphy." he walked on ahead.

"Better hope so." Bellamy muttered, his hand reached to touch the ring dangling over his chest.

"So, do I get a gun now?" Murphy asked again. It was answered by Bellamy shoving him forward, adjusting his grip on his own rifle.

* * *

As the group came upon a group of Grounders, Murphy shoved them down behind a log nearby. "Everybody down." he whispered, crouching between Finn and Bellamy. "This is it. Told you I'd find it."

Bellamy peered through the scope of the rifle, counting at least five Grounders, and zero of their friends. "I see nothing but Grounders." he informed, disappointment in voice. "Our people aren't here."

"Wait a minute." Finn interjected, focusing on the pile the Grounders were surrounding. "They've got stuff from our dropship."

Bellamy focused his attention on the supplies. "So, maybe they know where our friends are." he hoped.

"Or maybe they killed them already." Murphy rebuked.

Bellamy cast him a sideways glare, the ring sway back and forth from his neck. That was a fate he'd never acknowledge. The thought of never holding Rayleigh in his arms again was enough to make him snap.

"Son of a bitch." Finn cursed, bringing Bellamy back to reality. "The guy with the one eye, around his neck."

Bellamy pointed his rifle in the direction, and saw a rope around the Grounder's neck, latched around the middle of it was a watch. "What am I looking at?" he asked, looking at Finn.

"He's got Clarke's watch." Finn answered, his eyes burning with anger as he refocused on the Grounder. "It was her father's."

Bellamy's eyes instantly darted to the ring around his neck, remembering the story Rayleigh told him.

 _She walked up to him and showed him the ring. "My dad made this for my mom, when he decided he wanted to marry her. He left it for me, to remember him by." Rayleigh looked down at it as she held it in her palm. "He also told me that, when I find that right person, the one I want to be with forever, to give this to him to put on my finger. And that I have his blessing whenever I do decide."_

He looked down at the ring resting in his palm. "She wouldn't give that up without a fight." he muttered.

"Neither will we." Finn vowed, gritting his teeth.

Bellamy took a deep breath and slid the ring under the collar of his shirt, the band cold against his chest. He looked at Finn, "Ok, you're with me." he ordered. He then glanced between Sterling and Monroe. "You two, stay here, out of sight. This thing goes south, take out the other Grounders, but don't shoot the Grounder with the watch. Copy?"

"Copy." Sterling confirmed.

"Copy." Monroe repeated, her eyes drifting to Murphy. "What about Murphy?"

"Yeah, do I get a gun now?" Murphy asked blandly.

"Something like that." Bellamy answered, grabbing him by his jacket and shoving him along with Finn.

Murphy hid behind a tree and lightly banged two rocks together, getting the one-eyed Grounder's attention. He slowly made his way towards the sound, but didn't find anything. Bellamy snuck up behind him and knocked him out cold with his rifle. Finn stood over the Grounder and yanked the watch from his neck.

"We need to take him somewhere quiet." Bellamy said to Finn.

When Finn's eyes met his, he could see the anger flashing through them. "I know just the place." he informed. The two lifted the Grounder's limp body and dragged him through the woods.

* * *

The Grounder, Delano, was on his knees with his hands bound behind his back inside the bunker Finn, Clarke, and Rayleigh used to hide Charlotte. "We're gonna do this again, and this time you're gonna stop screwing with us." Bellamy stated, standing firm in front of Delano. He held the watch out, "Where did you find this?"

"I told you." Delano answered. "I found it outside your camp."

"He's lying." Finn rebuked, taking the watch from Bellamy. "She would never take it off voluntarily."

"I know." Bellamy agreed. Just like he knew Rayleigh would never take her necklace off willingly. He tossed the thought from his mind before his anger got the best of him.

Finn got right in Delano's face, holding the watch in front of him. "Where is the girl who was wearing this watch?" he demanded.

"I never saw a girl." Delano informed.

"Another lie." Murphy clarified, sitting on the couch behind them. "I mean, maybe you should stop asking him nicely."

"Shut up, Murphy." Monroe snapped, her glare focused on him as she held her gun to the side.

"Where are our friends?" Bellamy asked, his eyes never leaving Delano. "You took them. We know you did. Just tell us where."

Finn got to his feet. "Murphy's right. We're wasting time." he pulled the handgun from the waistband of his jeans, hitting Delano in the side of his face. "Answer the question! Where's the girl who was wearing this watch?"

Bellamy pulled him back. "Finn, stop!" he yelled, getting his friend's attention. "You don't want to do this. Trust me." he advised. "There are some lines you can't uncross."

Finn backed away, sighing heavily. He turned back to the prisoner and staring hitting him with the gun again and again, ignoring Delano's grunts of pain. "Where's Clarke?" he demanded. "Where is she?" When Bellamy went to stop him again, Finn held the gun right at him, "Back off!" he yelled.

Bellamy stood still, "Put down the gun, Finn." he said, calmly.

Finn cocked the gun and held it at Delano's head. "Three seconds!" he stated. "Two! One."

"Ok! I'll tell you." Delano cracked, gasping. "Your friends are east of here. The village where we take our prisoners of war."

"East? Where?" Finn prided. "How do we get to them?"

"I can draw you a map." Delano replied, his eye full of fear. "But you should hurry. Soon they'll outlive their usefulness."

"Get him something to draw a map." Finn panted, turning his back and walking away.

Murphy approached Bellamy, "You thought I was the crazy one, huh?" he whispered, rolling his eyes.

After Delano finished drawing the map, they bound his hands once more and gagged him, leaving him in the far corner as they went over it.

"Gather up the gear." Bellamy ordered. "We're leaving."

"What about him?" Sterling asked, motioning to Delano.

"For now, we leave him." Bellamy answered. "Deal with him when we're done."

"What if he escapes?" Murphy questioned. "He knows exactly where we're going."

Bellamy met his eyes, "We're not killing him." he stated.

"I'm not really seeing another option here." Murphy noted, challenging Bellamy's orders. "If we don't take care of this now, this is gonna blow back on us and you know that."

Bellamy sighed. "He's unarmed, Murphy." he pointed out.

"He's a Grounder." Murphy reminded. When he saw the hesitation in Bellamy's eyes, he scoffed. "Really? Come on. Tell him." he looked at Monroe and Sterling.

Monroe glanced between Delano and Murphy, "I don't know." she shrugged, her voiced laced in uncertainty.

"You don't know what?" Murphy questioned. "He's gonna tell his people everything." he turned back to Bellamy. "We're as good as dead. Our friends, too."

"We're not doing this." Bellamy stated again. "End of discussion. You want him, you gotta go through me."

"And what exactly happened to you, huh?" Murphy challenged. "You're talking like you've never killed a Grounder before."

"That was in battle." Bellamy defended. "This would be an execution."

No sooner did he finish the word when a gunshot went off. Everyone looked back and saw Delano's body fall to the side, a fresh bullet wound in his head. Finn exhaled heavily and slipped the gun back into his waist band, walking towards the ladder leading out of the bunker. "Let's get moving." he voted, taking the map as he left.

* * *

Bellamy was the last one to leave the bunker, various emotions running through his mind. Finn led the group as he read the map, Clarke's watch on his wrist. Sterling and Monroe were in the middle of the group keeping an eye out for Grounders. Murphy trailed behind them, looking over his shoulder and seeing a distracted look in Bellamy's eyes.

He slowed his pace and was soon walking beside him. "I know you're worried about her, but don't get so wrapped up wondering if she's alive or dead." Murphy told Bellamy. "As much as I hate complimenting the chick who shot me in the leg with a poisoned arrow, Rayleigh's strong. She'll survive the torture."

"You don't have the right to talk about her." Bellamy spat, keeping his eyes on everything but Murphy. "You don't know anything about Rayleigh."

"I know she's quick to throw a punch at anyone who disagrees with her or pisses her off." Murphy noted. "I also know what the Grounders do to the leaders they capture. If they identified Ray as our friends' leader, they'll torture her right in front of them. Knowing her stubborn complex, she'll push through. But, not even she's immune to death."

Bellamy stopped and slugged Murphy in the jaw with such force it knocked him to the ground. "I said don't talk about her!" he yelled, his shoulders heaving as he breathed heavily. "Our people. Our friends, are still alive. Including Rayleigh." he turned on his heels, marching ahead, now just a pace or two behind Finn. His eyes were full of determination to rescue the girl he was in love with.

His mind wandered through every memory he had of Rayleigh; from the time they first met on the Ark to when they were staring at each other across the battlefield. He just couldn't forget the look in her blue eyes as she told him she loved him and ran to the dropship, getting the remaining delinquents inside. _"I'll find you Rayleigh."_ he promised himself.

* * *

As the forest thickened, Bellamy took charge, leading the group. "Everyone, eyes peeled." he ordered. "We're in Grounder territory."

"Everything is Grounder territory, all right?" Murphy scoffed. "I can't keep running, all right? We don't even know if the guy Finn killed was telling the truth."

Finn marched up to him, yanking Murphy by his jacket. "Keep moving." he grunted.

Bellamy put his hand on Finn's shoulder. "We can give him a minute." he told him.

"No, we can't." Finn rebuked. "You heard what that Grounder said. 'They'll outlive their usefulness'."

"I heard what he said when you had a gun to his head, Finn." Bellamy reminded.

"Look, you think I wanted to do that?" Finn questioned. 'He would have told his people we're coming, and by the time we got there, our people would be that's something you can live with, but I can't!" he moved forward.

"Hey." Bellamy halted, pushing him back. "You did what you think you had to do, but you are not yourself right now, and I can't be out here with another loose cannon."

"Guys." Monroe cleared her throat, keeping her gun even with her chest. She motioned to a patch of tall grass nearby and as they got closer they realized there was a dead body laying on the ground.

They walked down the narrow trail, one right behind the other, glancing at the large number of bodies ahead. "Where the hell did they come from?" Murphy asked, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.

Bellamy swallowed the lump in his throat. "From the Ark." he answered.

The five came to the edge of a cliff and saw the crashed remains of one of the Ark stations, which was now a pile of twisted metal lodged into the side of the cliffs. After realizing the situation at hand, Bellamy spoke up. "There's nothing we can do for these people. We gotta go."

A faint cry of help came from over the cliff and they all looked over the edge. "Hey, someone's down there." Monroe pointed to a girl hanging on to a branch growing from the cliffisde.

"Please, help me!" the girl cried.

"Mel?" Sterling questioned.

"You know her?" Murphy asked.

Sterling shot him a glare. "Shut up, Murphy. She's my friend." he snapped, shrugging off his pack. "We have to do something." he walked over to a stump and tied the rope he carried around it.

Finn pulled Bellamy aside. "We can't stop." he told him.

"This isn't a Grounder, Finn." Bellamy reminded. "She's one of ours. We have a rope."

"You saw her. She'd never be able to hold on to it." Finn pointed out. "We'd have to lower somebody down. It'll take time that we don't have." his once calm brown eyes were now dark and storming.

Bellamy sighed, but before he could give the order to move on, Sterling was already lowering himself down the cliffside, much to Finn's disapproval. "Well, it looks like we're taking that break after all." Murphy noted, not really caring that Finn and Bellamy rolled their eyes.

Sterling carefully scaled the side of the cliff. "I'm almost there!" he called up to the others. "Once I have her, pull us up!"

"Well, I'd say he's heard one too many of your motivational speeches." Murphy said stoically.

"Shut up, Murphy." Bellamy scoffed.

The rope slowly came undone from the tree stump. Once it finally snapped, the others couldn't grab it in time, and Sterling fell to his death. Mel sobbed and clung to the branch tighter.

"Mel! Mel, hold on. Focus on me." Bellamy encouraged, looking down over the cliff's edge. "You can do this. You're strong."

"I'm not strong!" Mel yelled back up, clutching the branch. "Stubborn, maybe."

"So be stubborn a little longer." Bellamy told her. "I'm not gonna let you die, you hear me?"

Finn pulled him back, gripping his arm. "We're out of rope." he reminded.

"So we make a new one." Bellamy suggested, looking to Murphy and Monroe.

"If anything happens to our friends, when we could-" Finn started, clenching his teeth.

"We don't know if we could save our friends." Bellamy admitted, his own heart constricting as he spoke the words aloud. "For all we know, they may be dead already. We've all thought it." everyone looked at their feet. "But what we do know is we could save this one girl."

Monroe nodded, looking up and meeting Bellamy's eyes. "Sterling was one of us." she reminded. "She was his friend. I'm in."

Murphy licked his lips. "How do we do it?" he asked, looking in Bellamy's direction as well.

"We make new rope from the wreckage." he answered. "Go find wires, seatbelts, anything."

Murphy and Monroe did just that. Finn stood directly in front of Bellamy. "I hope you're right about this." he said, his voice on the verge of a growl.

"So do I." Bellamy admitted, once Finn was out of earshot.

* * *

Once the new rope was securely tied to the tree stump, Bellamy scaled the cliffisde, keeping his eyes on Mel the whole time. Murphy, Finn, and Monroe kept a firm grip as Bellamy was lowered down.

"Ease it out slowly." he called up to them. "I'm almost there." He was lowered just underneath Mel and reached out his arm, "I got you." he assured, wrapping his arm around the small of her back. "Just put your arms around me."

Mel shook her head, "I can't." she cried.

"Yes, you can." Bellamy reassured. "It's ok. This will hold. I'll get you up, I promise."

Mel nodded and slowly wrapped one arm around his neck, hesitant to let go of the branch. She took a deep breath and released, clinging to Bellamy's neck, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I got her!" Bellamy called up to Monroe and the others. "Pull us up!"

"Don't you worry, Bellamy." Murphy grunted. "I won't drop you."

"Just pull, Murphy." Monroe snapped.

It was struggle to pull the two back up, but things really got dicy once arrows started flying from the trees. The rope snapped and Murphy and Finn gripped it tighter to avoid Mel and Bellamy falling to their deaths. As the two boys struggled, Monroe was covering them, firing off rounds into the trees. An arrow flew out and hit her in the lower portion of her thigh.

"We're gonna need to cut her loose." Murphy grunted, struggling to hold his grip. "Bellamy, you got to cut her loose!"

A loud, bellowing echoed through the forest, signaling only one thing; Acid fog. Adrenaline pumped through their veins as they pulled Bellamy and Mel to safety as the Grounders retreated. Mel collapsed next to Finn, panting.

"We have to take cover from the fog." Finn noted, standing up.

"Bellamy." a voice gasped from a few feet away.

Bellamy looked up and saw Octavia, a smile on her face and her eyes twinkling. "No, we don't." he rebuked, getting to his feet.

"She blew the horn." Murphy noted.

Bellamy and Octavia embraced, sighing in relief that the other was alive. His heart felt a little less heavy, now that his baby sister was back in his arms. However, Bellamy wouldn't be fully relieved until he held the girl he loved.

* * *

"Thank God you came when you did." Monroe noted, wincing as Octavia bandaged the wound in her thigh. Bellamy was busy tying a sling around Mel's shoulder and Finn was studying the map.

"I was going back to camp when I heard shots." Octavia informed.

"Nice foghorn." Murphy noted, picking up the instrument. "What happened to your boyfriend?"

Octavia looked up at him and snatched the horn from his hand. "He's gone." she answered, not letting her emotions show.

Bellamy knelt beside her, "Hey." he whispered, getting Octavia to look at him. "I'm sorry, O."

She nodded and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "The Grounders will be back, so we need to go, now." she told everyone.

"Yes, we do." Finn agreed, folding up the map and shoving it into his pocket.

Bellamy walked up to him. "Octavia says the arrow might be poisoned." he informed. "I have to take them home. I'll meet you as soon as I can."

Finn nodded, handing Bellamy a copy of the map he made. "I know." He grabbed his gear and a rifle, heading back up the trail.

Murphy went to follow. "Parting, such sweet sorrow, right?" he chuckled.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bellamy accused.

"Come on." Murphy sighed, turning back to look at Bellamy. "Bellamy, you know if I go with you, they'll just lock me up again."

Bellamy grabbed the second rifle and tossed it to Murphy, who cocked it. "Really?" Octavia questioned, her hands hitting her sides.

"Watch his back." Bellamy told Murphy. He nodded and him and Finn headed to the Grounder village. Bellamy turned back to his sister. "I can't get them home without you."

Octavia just smiled. "Of course you can't." she agreed.


	6. Human Trials

**Human Trials**

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

After escaping from Mount Weather, Clarke was originally a prisoner of Anya's but turned the tables and managed to find her way to Camp Jaha. She convinced Anya to get an audience with the Commander, but she was shot before she could leave. Clarke tried to save her but was struck by the Guard and captured.

The unit half-dragged her into camp, keeping her surrounded. Abby came from the crowd and her face fell. "Wait." she called, running up to Major Byrne

"Once the prisoner is secured." Byrne told her.

"She's not a prisoner." Abby rebuked. "She's my daughter." she shoved passed the Major and took Clarke's muddied face in her hands. She sighed in relief when her daughter's blue eyes met hers. "Clarke."

Clarke, still hazy from her escape, met Abby's eyes. "Mom?" she whispered, before her eyes drifted shut and her head hung low

The guards took Clarke straight to Medical where Abby and Jackson went right to work. "I need saline and a pressure dressing." Abby told Jackson, who went to grab the supplies.

"I saw your ship crash." Clarke muttered, looking up at her mom.

"I wasn't on it." Abby informed, brushing Clarke's hair from her face. "I'm right here." Clarke groaned as she moved slightly on the bed.

"Is she all right?" Byrne asked.

"She will be." Abby assured.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We had no idea who she was." Byrne apologized. She stepped up to the bedside. "Where have you been?"

Abby turned her head. "Mount Weather." Clarke answered, her voice raspy and laced with exhaustion.

"The Grounders took you to Mount Weather?" Byrne questioned.

"No. The Mountain Men." Clarke rebuked, moving to sit up. "We have to get them out."

Abby pushed Clarke back onto the bed. "We're not doing this right now." she said to Major Byrne.

Byrne nodded and left the medical station without another word. Clarke stirred again, sitting up, "Mom." she groaned. "Did anyone else make it here?"

Abby nodded, her lips curling into a smile "Yes." she answered. "Six of you did."

"Finn and Bellamy?" Clarke asked. Abby nodded. "I thought they were dead. I thought you were dead." Clarke's eyes filled with moisture and the tears spill over. "I thought you were dead."

Abby pulled her daughter close, holding her against her chest. "Not me." she soothed, brushing Clarke's hair out of her face. "I'm right here." Clarke grasped her mother's arm, feeling a sense of peace as the exhaustion from her escape caught up to her.

Ten hours later, Clarke awoke in Medical. The mud was all washed off from her face, but she still had a few scars and bruises. Abby opened her eyes and smiled at her younger daughter. "I thought you got thrown off the council?" Clarke asked, noticing the pin on the collar of Abby's jacket.

"It's the Chancellor's pin." Abby corrected, chuckling.

"Wait, you?" Clarke gaped.

Abby laughed. "Yeah." she agreed. "Thelonious didn't make it, and Kane left two days ago to try to make peace with the Grounders to get you and the others back." she informed.

"I told you, the Grounders don't have us." Clarke reminded, looking around and noticed the sun shining into the medical tent. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About ten hours." Abby answered. Clarke groaned and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Abby moved to stop her, "Oh, hey, Clarke, slow down." she advised. "It's too soon."

"Mom, we need to move against Mount Weather." Clarke informed. "Rayleigh's counting on me. How many guards are here? Where are Finn and Bellamy?" she rattled.

"Clarke, please." Abby cut off. "You need to rest."

"I don't need to rest. I'm fine." Clarke rebuked, getting off the bed. "And I don't need you to protect me. What I need is to save my friends, and my sister."

"Ma'am." Byrne called, stepping into the tent. "Movement in the north woods."

"Grounders?" Abby questioned.

Byrne shook her head. "I don't think so." she replied, a small smile on her usually non-emotional face.

Abby left the tent, followed by Clarke. Raven was sitting just outside and smiled when she saw Clarke was awake. "Hi." Clarke greeted when she saw Raven.

"I've been waiting out here all night." Raven informed, wrapping one arm around Clarke in a tight hug. "Abby said you needed sleep."

Clarke returned the hug and pulled back, noticing the brace on the older girl's left leg. "Raven, I-" she stuttered.

"Sucks." Raven cut her off. "but I'm dealing with it." she flipped her ponytail back. "Where's Ray?"

Before Clarke could answer, the gate to Camp Jaha opened and Bellamy's group walked through. Abby walked up to them, her eyes focusing on Mel, "I know you." Abby noted, "Factory station, right? Where are the others?"

Mel shook her head. "There are no others." she informed.

"Found her a day from here." Bellamy informed. "No survivors. Lots of supplies."

Abby nodded in confirmation, motioning to one of the guards, "Get her to medical." she told them. The Guardsman helped Mel, while Abby aided Monroe.

Clarke ran past Abby and embraced Bellamy tightly, catching him off guard. He hugged her back, sighing and patted her back. Octavia cleared her throat, "Now, there's something I thought I'd never see." she chuckled. Clarke pulled away and hugged Octavia next. "I'm glad you're ok." Octavia whispered.

"You, too." Clarke replied pulling away.

"How many are with you?" Bellamy asked, his eyes scanning the camp. He knew that if Clarke was standing in front of him, that Rayleigh had to be close by. "Where's Ray?"

Clarke bit her lip and shook her head. "It's just me." she answered. "Rayleigh's still with the others. I escaped because of her." she saw the flicker of hope leave Bellamy's eyes as his shoulders sank. "But, I do have a message from her." Clarke patted Bellamy's shoulder, assuringly. "She loves you."

Raven joined the trio and looked around, "Wasn't Finn with you?" she questioned.

Bellamy nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "He was." he answered.

"So where is he?" Clarke asked.

Bellamy looked back at her. "Looking for you."

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Two fucking days. That's how long I was in an all white room. Two days without food and water. My only company was a Grounder named Zasha, who's room was next to mine. She looked about my age, maybe a year older, with thick blonde hair and green/blue eyes, and surprisingly fair skin.

I smirked, tapping my head against the wall. "This is nothing." I scoffed. "I was stuck in a solitary tin can for eleven months with my sister as my only company. This is just giving me a feeling of dejavu, and the urge to knock someone's head off."

Zasha chuckled on the other side of the wall. "Let me guess, it was your temper that got you arrested?" she questioned.

I tilted my head to the side, looking at her through the barred window joining our rooms. "Actually it was conspiracy to commit treason." I corrected. "My dad discovered that the Ark had about two years of oxygen left before we all died. He went to the council, and they executed him." I looked up at the ceiling. "I never got to say goodbye. Anyways, Clarke and I knew what he did, but since we were both 17, we were sent to solitary until our birthday. Eleven months later, we were sent down here."

"It must've been hard, leaving your sister." Zasha inquired, tilting her head so our eyes met. "You sure she'll make it."

I nodded. "I have faith." I replied. "Clarke's stronger than she thinks. Being apart from me will help her see that."

The door to my room opened and Zasha quickly looked away, closing her eyes as if she were meditating. I leaned off the wall and stood up, folding my arms across my chest. "What do you want?" I snapped, glaring at two security guards who were standing in my doorway.

"You're coming with us Princess Commander." the one called Lovejoy stated.

"And if I refuse?" I challenged.

The second guard, Thorpe, slugged me in the jaw and knocked me to the floor, his boot on my chest. "That's not an option." he rebuked, applying slight pressure, making me cough and gasp.

"Thrope." Lovejoy called. "She needs to be alive."

He grunted and removed his foot from chest before yanking me from the floor and holding my arms behind my back, shoving me out the door. Lovejoy tied a blindfold around my eyes before placing a cloth over my nose and mouth. A couple breaths later, everything went black.

* * *

When everything came back, I found myself strapped to a bed in another room in the quarantine ward. Someone with severely blistered skin was laying on the other bed, an EKG hooked up to him reading a high fever and high blood pressure. "What's going on?" I gasped, struggling to get free.

"Emerson was on the team going after your sister." Lovejoy answered, now in a hazmat suit. "His suit was compromised and the unit was forced to retreat back here. He was exposed, and you're his only hope for survival."

"Why the hell would I help you people?" I spat, glaring at Lovejoy.

"We weren't asking." he stated, as the door opened. Cage and Dr. Tsing, both in suits as well, entered.

"The standard treatment for this type of exposure isn't working." Tsing informed. "So, we're trying something different."

"A live transfusion." I muttered.

"Not exactly." Cage informed. "See, we're going to circulate Emerson's blood into your system, while yours is circulated through his." he stood by my bedside. "Since you were born and raised in space, your body can metabolize the high amount of radiation."

"How are you sure that it won't kill me?" I questioned.

"We're not." Tsing answered. "It's 50/50. But it shouldn't matter to you, you've already cheated Death once."

"Get her ready and start the procedure." Cage ordered, leaving the room. Lovejoy followed him, leaving just Dr. Tsing alone with me and a heavily sedated Carl Emerson.

Lorelei stuck one of the transfusion tubes into my neck and attached it to the shunt on Emerson's chest. The second one started at the shunt and ended at a vein in the crook of my elbow. As the machine turned on and Emerson's irradiated blood entered my system, I suddenly became weary and disoriented; probably the sedatives in his system entering mine.

I closed my eyes and took deep, slow breaths. My brain focused on the one person who I could draw strength from. The man who believed I could save the lives of our friends. The man who's name was on a charm around my neck. The man I love and will see again.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **The Woods; Nightfall**

Bellamy kept watch over Octavia and Clarke as they slept, however his mind was focused on Rayleigh. He held the ring out in front of him, twisting it in the way Rayleigh always did. His eyes drifted towards the direction of Mount Weather, pain and sadness reflected in them.

Clarke stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. She noticed Bellamy looking towards Mount Weather and sighed, "She's okay." she assured, making him look at her. "Ray's strong and stubborn. She won't go down without a fight."

Bellamy's lips curled into a smile, images of Rayleigh firing her arrows during the war flashing through his mind. "Last thing I remember of her, she had two knife wounds and you helped her close the dropship door." he muttered, staring at the ring sitting in his palm.

Clarke sat up, "Did you get any sleep?" she asked, concerned.

"It's ok. I'll sleep when we find Finn." Bellamy sighed, clutching the ring in his hand. "You haven't seen him, Clarke. Losing you, the others, the war, it changed him." he informed, meeting her eyes. "He executed the Grounder that drew us the map, pulled the trigger without even blinking and walked away."

Clarke shook her head. "That doesn't sound like Finn."

"No, it doesn't." Bellamy agreed. "I saw what he was capable of, and still I let him go with Murphy and two automatic rifles." He sighed, holding the ring up at eye-level, the copper band glowing by the firelight. "When we got back to the dropship and no one was there," he swallowed the lump in his throat. "we assumed it was the Grounders that took you all."

"Of course, you did." Clarke nodded. "You couldn't have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have."

Bellamy took a shuddering breath as he focused on the ring he held. He looked past the fire and saw Rayleigh, leaning against a tree not far ahead of him. Her silky blonde hair framed her face as it fell down her shoulders and her back, her blue eyes twinkling like the stars in the sky, her fair skin glowing by the dim light of the fire. He felt his own heart constrict as he thought about what Clarke said about the Grounders, and he wondered if his people were gonna suffer the same torture. "How long until chocolate cake turns into being hung upside down and drained for their blood?" he pondered aloud, the image of Rayleigh he saw slowly fading into the night.

Clarke shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, but we don't have much time." she admitted. She reached out and patted his arm, "If anyone can keep our people alive until we get them out, it's Rayleigh." she assured. "She has faith in you Bellamy, so have faith in her."

"I do have faith in her." Bellamy admitted. "I love her." he dropped the ring down the collar of his shirt. "Ok, but first we need to find Finn." he reminded, focusing his mind back on the mission at hand. "Then we rescue Rayleigh and the rest of our people in Mount Weather."

"And Lincoln." Octavia added, sitting up and grabbing her pack. "Think we've slept long enough."

They stomped out their fire and headed out into the night.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Two female voices echoed beside me.

"It was the non-standard treatment, but since the others believe Rayleigh escaped with her sister, Cage and Lorelei figured they could so it." one voice stated.

"Is she gonna live or not?" the other asked. "She looks paler than she did when they took her. She looks like she's dying."

"Her body's slowly metabolizing the radiation." the first voice informed. "She'll live, she just won't be one-hundred percent for a couple days."

The second girl scoffed. "That's exactly what they wanted." she muttered. "So the next time they come in and try to break her, she won't put up much of a fight."

I felt a hand brush against my cheek. "Break the leader, then her people will loose hope." the first voice sighed.

A small whimper escaped me as I slowly opened my eyes, wincing as the bright lights came into focus. I glanced around to find myself back in my original room; the room Cage had locked me in after I helped Clarke escape.

"Welcome back, Rayleigh." the first voice greeted. I turned my head and saw Cassie leaning over me. "You had us worried."

"Us?" I questioned, my mouth incredibly dry.

Zasha stepped up, her green/blue eyes staring down into mine. "When they carried you back in here, you were out of it." she told me. "I honestly thought they killed you."

I tried to sit up and suddenly felt really dizzy, the taste of bile rising in my throat. Cassie leaned over the bed and held a metal bucket in front of me just as I retched, throwing up basically the lining of my stomach since I haven't eaten anything. Zasha held my hair up as she rubbed my back.

I coughed as the retching slowly ceased, trying to catch my breath. I leaned against the pillows, groaning. Cassie handed me a tall glass of water, "Here, drink." she told me.

I gulped down the water, drinking the entire glass down. "Thanks." I replied, rubbing my temples. My head was pounding like a drum, almost like a hangover.

"Cage and Lorelei basically experimented on you." Cassie informed. "It was successful, and I have a feeling this is just the start."

"What does that mean for my friends?" I asked.

"I honestly don't know." Cassie answered.

Zasha stood by the door and peered through the glass circle. "Someone's coming." she alerted.

Cassie quickly got off the bed and moved the bookcase that was in the corner off to the side, revealing a large, metal door. Zasha pulled it open and let Cassie slip inside first, pulling the bookcase back to hide the door. She slipped inside before the door to the room opened.

I quickly closed my eyes, keeping my senses on alert. I felt fingers brush against the side of my neck, grabbing the forearm and meeting the eyes of none other than Cage Wallace. "Well, nice to see the Princess Commander lives." he chuckled.

"What the hell do you want?" I spat, releasing his arm. "Because I know it wasn't to check up on me."

"Actually it was exactly that." Cage confirmed. "I don't want you dying just yet."

"You can't break me." I told him.

He grabbed me by the neck and tossed me into the side wall. I grunted and fell to the carpeted floor, shaking it off. I lunged towards him, fighting through the dizzy spells, slugging his arm. Cage grabbed my wrist and slammed me into the floor, climbing on top of me, his hands gripping my throat.

"No one's coming to rescue you." he stated, applying more pressure. "Your sister is probably dead by now." his eyes drifted down my face, settling on the necklace I wore. "The man you claim to love isn't coming to save you. He's gone, just like the rest of your people."

I gripped his arms, digging my nails into the fabric of his sleeves, struggling to get him off. Cage only fought to keep me pinned. "You sick bastard." I rasped. "You like torturing young girls, huh? Am I a threat to you?"

Cage applied more pressure to my throat, and my head was getting heavier and heavier. He released his grip and stood up, letting me roll over on my hands and knees. As I caught my breath, he kicked me in the ribs, three times. I rolled onto my back, gasping.

"You'll break eventually." Cage promised. "Then, you can join your lover in death." he walked out and shut the door behind him.

I reached up and touched the nameplate charm, closing my eyes. _"He's wrong."_ I told myself. _"You know Bellamy. He'd never die, not when his friends are in danger. He promised you he'd never leave you."_

Bile rose in my throat once more and I crawled to the bucket by the bed, vomiting a collection of blood and mucous. Cassie rubbed my back as Zasha stood behind her. "Stay strong Rayleigh." Cassie muttered.

I panted and leaned against the bed, my vision clouding over. I felt myself being lifted up and laid back down on the bed, Zasha looming over me. "What's happening to her?" she asked, eyes darting to Cassie.

"She overexerted herself." Cassie answered. I heard what sounded like clattering metal and a small pinch on the underside of my forearm. "This solution should rehydrate her."

Her's and Zasha's voices were melding together as my eyes fluttered shut, everything going black around me.


	7. Breaking Point

**Breaking Point**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Days have come and gone to which I don't even know how long I was in this pure white prison. My body was so weak that I barley left the bed. The only thing keeping me alive was Cassie coming by and hooking me up to a fluid IV and a blood bag. Although, that was the bare minimum she could do. Zasha kept a vigilante watch at my bedside when she could, sneaking in and out of my room through the hidden door.

As much as I hated to admit it, Cage's words kept echoing in my mind on a never-ending loop. _"The only survivors of your people are the ones inside this mountain. When you helped your sister escape, you led her to her own death. There are no survivors from the Ark. The man you love is never coming to save you, the only way you'll ever see him again is when you finally die."_

The only way I could ever escape from those words was to give in to the exhaustion and go deep into my subconscious mind; which is something I did when I was back on the Ark. I knew I could imagine something much better than what I was going through.

* * *

 _I awoke in a lush, green field, the sun beating down on my skin. A sweet-smelling breeze blew my hair behind me. I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, warm lips trailing kisses down the side of my neck. I leaned back against his shoulders, tilting my head back and closing my eyes._

 _"Look at me." he whispered, his breath warm against my ear._

 _My eyes fluttered open as I turned in his direction, meeting a pair of beautiful brown eyes that I've missed looking into. My heartbeat picked and I felt my lips curl into a smile. I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head against his chest, sighing heavily. He returned the embrace, his chin resting on the top of my head. "Bellamy." I sighed, breathing in his scent. "I've missed you."_

 _"Not as much as I've missed you, Ray." Bellamy whispered, kissing the top of my head._

 _I looked up, gazing into his eyes. My face inched towards his and I met his lips, every nerve in body igniting._

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **Mount Weather**

Cassie led Maya, Monty, and Jasper down a dimly lit hallway with flickering lights. "Rayleigh's room is just up here." she informed.

"How can we be sure you're telling us the truth?" Monty asked, still skeptical.

Cassie stopped in front of a door and opened it, motioning for them to go inside. Jasper and Monty walked inside, their eyes widening and jaws dropping as they saw Rayleigh laying in the bed, and someone they didn't know sitting beside her.

"Who're they?" Zasha asked, standing up, her eyes focused on Monty and Jasper.

"It's okay Zasha." Cassie assured. "They're friends of Rayleigh's."

Jasper approached the bed, noticing a wrap around her forearm. "What's that?" he lightly touched the wrap.

Zasha sighed, "Just a few hours ago, Cage came in with Lorelei and she filled a large bag with her blood." she informed.

"That would explain why she's so pale." Monty noted. "I knew she'd never abandon us."

"Cage is trying to break her." Cassie informed, her and Maya stepping up to the foot of the bed. "The only reason her body hasn't completely shut down is because I've been giving her a fluid mixture containing vitamins. She's pushing through for you guys."

Jasper tucked loose hair behind her ear, processing the sight before him. "Dante said she escaped with Clarke." he muttered.

"Another lie." Zasha rebuked. "She let her sister escape alone. Cage threw her in here after she willingly surrendered."

"Rayleigh would never surrender." Monty stated. "She's our leader."

"And that's why she chose to stay." Zasha replied, her eyes meeting Monty's. "A leader never abandons her people." she took a deep breath, focusing on Rayleigh. "She chose to stay so she could make sure you and your friends lived. Consider yourselves lucky, she'd die for you."

"If Clarke got out, we can, too." Monty noted.

"You'll never make it." Cassie informed. "Ever since Clarke disappeared, security all around the mountain has been increased."

"We're not leaving." Jasper stated, taking Rayleigh's hand. "I won't leave the others behind. It'll mean they end up like Rayleigh, or worse."

"What choice do we have?" Monty asked.

"We volunteer." Jasper answered. He squeezed Rayleigh's hand once. "Recover Ray, I'll take care of them until then." he promised.

Rayleigh's fingers gently clasped Jasper's, a light whimper escaping her.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

 _I laid on the lush grass, watching the clouds roll across the sky. Bellamy ran his fingers through my hair, his body next to mine. I knew it wasn't real, but anything was better than what was really happening to me._

 _I turned my head to the side and gazed into his brown eyes, my heart fluttering in my chest. I reached out to caress his cheek, his skin warm against my palm. "I need you Bellamy." I whispered._

 _He leaned down and captured my lips with his own, pulling my body up to meet him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him, while his arms snaked around my lower back. I opened my mouth wider and his tongue slid past my teeth as mine did the same to him, my fingers twisting the ends of his hair._

 _Bellamy pulled away first, holding me against his chest. "I'm always here." he told me, caressing my upper arm. "I've never left you."_

 _"I'm tired." I admitted._

 _"Don't give up." Bellamy advised, adjusting my body so I was across his lap. "Our people need you to fight." He kissed my temple before touching his forehead to mine. "I need you to live." his lips brushed over mine as his hands roamed my back._

 _I turned my face slightly and deepened the kiss, running my fingers through his dark hair. I pulled away, sighing heavily. "I love you." I whispered, meeting his eyes once more._

 _A smile crossed his lips as one of his hands moved to cup the side of my face. He pecked my lips lightly. "I love you too." he replied, caressing my cheek._

* * *

Reality came back into focus. I awoke in the white prison, slowly sitting up and wincing at the pain in my ribs. I bit my lip, suppressing the tears that were threatening to spill over. I reached up and caressed the necklace charm, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Okay Bell." I whispered. "I'll try and stay alive a little while longer."

The door to my room opened and I gasped, scooting back against the pillows as Cage, Emerson, and Lovejoy entered. "Looks like she's starting to fear us." Lovejoy snickered.

"Guess she's starting to break, sir." Emerson noted.

I narrowed my eyes into a harsh glare. Cage just scoffed. "Well, what I have planned for her next should finish the job." he stated. "Take her."

The two security guards approached either side of my bed and pushed me off, grabbing my arms and lifting me off the floor. Since I haven't eaten in God knows how many days I wasn't up to fighting strength. Emerson held me in a vice grip as Lovejoy shoved a cloth over my nose and mouth, everything going black in seconds.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **Mount Weather**

Jasper recruited Monty, Miller, and Harper for a job that catered to their criminal backgrounds. They formulated a plan to break into Dante's office in order to find out the truth.

"We have to hurry." Jasper reminded. "Today, Monty."

"I'm going as fast as I can." Monty replied, picking the lock to Dante's office.

Miller kept glancing at each camera around them. "Relax." Jasper assured. "Maya's decontaminating the surveillance room. No one's watching. We got this."

"If we can get that door open." Miller added.

The lock clicked and Monty grinned, turning to look at the others. "Ye of little faith." he chuckled, opening the door and slipping inside.

"That's my boy." Jasper praised. "Come on, let's move. Harper, watch the hall."

Harper sighed heavily, "Why do I have to watch the hall?" she asked, slightly disappointed.

"Monty's good with computers and Miller's a thief." Jasper defended.

The lone girl raised an eyebrow, "Why can't you watch the hall?"

"I'm the mastermind." Jasper grinned. Harper scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just go watch the hall." Jasper told her, slipping inside the office as Harper turned her back and kept watch.

Monty knelt behind Dante's desk and found his computer, a grin spreading across his face. He opened the lid and clicked the mouse, a login screen popping up. Miller lowered his head. "It's password protected." he sighed.

"We'll see about that." Monty chuckled, cracking his knuckles and working his hacking magic.

"And they said we wouldn't amount to anything." Jasper smirked, shaking his head. He continued snooping around the office, while Miller looked through various files and Monty was busy hacking into Dante's laptop.

"Damn, I'm good." Monty gloated as he pulled up surveillance pictures of Camp Jaha. "They're alive." he told the other two boys, going through all the photos. "That looks like Alpha station."

"It is Alpha station." Miller confirmed, grabbing a few important documents he found. "Now what?"

"Now, we get a plan together." Jasper voted.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

When my senses returned, I found myself sitting on a metal chair in an unknown, dark room. "Where the hell am I?"

"You'll see soon enough." Cage answered, gripping my shoulders tightly, making me wince. He held a walkie to his mouth, "Bring her in Lorelei."

A door opposite me opened with a rustic screech and I jumped up, ready to attack if I needed to. My body relaxed when a familiar girl stepped through the door. "Rayleigh." she sighed, running up to me.

"Harper." I met her and embraced her tightly, sighing in relief. "You're okay."

"I knew you were still alive." Harper said, pulling away. "No offense, Princess, but you've looked better."

I chuckled, "It's so good to see you." I hugged her again.

"Alpha's on the ground." she whispered in my ear. "We have people out there."

"I knew it." I whispered back. "Clarke will find them, and we'll be outta here soon."

Lorelei Tsing entered the room and nodded her head. Cage held me back as Emerson grabbed Harper and led her back the way she entered. The light's suddenly came on, revealing 47 cages lining the two side walls and a metal exam table was in the middle.

"What the hell is going on here Cage?" I growled, struggling to free myself. Tsing opened one of the cages and Emerson gripped Harper, lifting her into one. I struggled more, "No, leave her alone." I turned to Cage. "You want me. Let Harper go. I won't resist, just please let her go."

"I told you I was going to break you." Cage reminded. "That's exactly what's gonna happen." He grabbed one of my arms and Emerson grabbed the other, shoving me towards the exam table.

I reared back and kicked Cage in the legs, using my free arm to slug Emerson. Despite being weakened, I kept up a strong front and put up a decent fight. However, I fought one wave of dizziness and Emerson took that opportunity to shove me into the metal table, where I split my forehead on the edge. Blood ran down the side of my face, making the dizziness worse.

"Strap her down." Lorelei ordered.

Emerson kicked me in the ribs a couple more times before stepping on my throat. "If you resist," he glanced at Harper, who was cowering in a cage, tears falling down her cheeks. "she dies." He pulled me up by the front of my black shirt and threw me down onto the exam table, maneuvering my body so I was on my stomach. Emerson moved to strap my legs down first.

I moved my head so I was looking at Cage, "How very _50 Shades_ of you." I noted. "You really get off on torture huh?" That earned me a punch to the jaw, my lip splitting. "You really are one sick bastard."

After strapping down my legs, Emerson cuffed my left arm then my right. I craned my neck and bit his arm, latching down as hard as I could. He reared his elbow back into my eye, making me let go. "Lock her neck down." Cage ordered, moving to stand in my line of sight. "If you had just escaped with your sister, you would've saved yourself this torment."

"Then you'd be doing this to one of my friends." I noted, blood slowly pooling in my mouth from my busted lip. "A leader does what's best for her people, even if that means enduring any amount of torture thrown at her."

Emerson strapped a large, leather choke collar around my neck as Cage just smirked down at me. "Anything else, sir?" Emerson questioned.

Cage shook his head, but turned to Lorelei, whispering something in her ear. She pulled away, "You really wanna break her, don't you?" she asked.

"Break the leader, her followers will loose their will to fight back." Cage noted, giving me a smirk.

Harper banged on her cage, "Please, let her go." she cried. "Let us go! We just wanna go home."

Cage walked up to her, glancing between the two of us, "So do we." he informed.

Dr. Tsing injected some kind of drug into my neck, instantly making me tense up. A burning sensation coursed throughout my body and I struggled against the restraints. I tried to regulate my breathing, taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly. Cage looked down at me, "Now, we're gonna have some fun." he chuckled.

I spit blood right into his face, glaring at him. "You're one sick son of a bitch, getting off on torturing young girls." I spat. "Pretty sure whatever you're planning on doing to me was illegal a hundred years ago."

Cage took a suture needle and gently ran it down the side of my face. My nerves ignited and it felt like someone was slicing me with a butcher knife. I bit my lip so hard blood dripped down my chin, suppressing the scream building in my throat.

"What did you inject her with?" Harper asked.

"Just a little something to increase her nerve sensitivity." Lorelei answered, cutting the back of my shirt. The cool air felt almost like frostbite against my bare skin, making my toes curl. She lightly pressed on the soft tissue on the back of my left hip, which felt like someone was pounding on it with a ten pound weight.

"Please, don't." Harper begged, gripping the grate of her cage. "Don't hurt her."

"Close your eyes Harper." I told her. "Just close your eyes. Everything's gonna be okay."

A sharp pain radiated down my entire left side as Tsing pressed the blade of the scalpel into the tissue. "The hip has the largest marrow pocket." she informed. "We'll begin the aspiration there."

"I don't need to know the details." Cage told her, standing by the door Harper came through. "Just do it."

I heard the whirring of a drill and fisted the blanket underneath me. Lorelei shoved the drill end into the cut on my hip and my entire body tensed, like I was being cut by thousands of knives from every direction while standing in the middle of a roaring bonfire. Harper screamed, begging them to stop. I closed my eyes and tried to will myself into my subconscious, but even that couldn't be done. Tears fell down my face as my body was engulfed in fire and pain. Finally, I let out a scream that could only be made by someone close to dying.

 _"I'm sorry Bellamy."_ I cried. _"I can't do this anymore."_ Even with my eyes closed, the pain never stopped. All I could do was wait for it to stop, to wait to die.


	8. Rebirth

**Rebirth**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

I accepted the stone-cold facts, there was nothing I could do to free my people from this prison. I sat with my back against the foot of the bed, my knees pulled up to my chest. I was emotionally and physically drained after enduring what felt like months of torture, even though it was only a week or two; I'm not really sure anymore. Only one thing was clear; I failed my people, my friends. I failed as a leader. And now, we were never getting out of Mount Weather.

As I just sat there, waiting to die, my brain was doing everything it could to keep me alive. That included creating images of people near and dear to me, hallucinations of my family, my friends from the Ark, my people still inside Mount Weather, and of course the man I loved.

Bellamy kneeled right in front me, his hands on my shoulders. "C'mon Rayleigh, don't give up on me know." he begged, gripping the fabric of the white long sleeved shirt I was wearing. "I need you to live." his forehead touched mine, our faces inches apart.

"I'm tired Bell." I admitted, my face buried in my knees. "I can't do it anymore."

"Yes you can." Bellamy rebuked, cupping my face to make me look at him. "You're the strongest woman I know. You can get through this."

I wrapped my hands around his forearms and pulled them away, letting his hands drop to his sides. I shook my head. "Not this time." I told him. "Just leave me alone, Bellamy." I folded my arms around my knees and rested my head against my forearms, shuddering.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **En-Route to Tondc**

After the death of Finn, Clarke and a few others from Camp Jaha walked with the Grounders on their way to Tondc, the very village in which Finn killed 18 people while searching for his missing friends. Raven sat in the cart by his body while Clarke and Bellamy followed close behind.

Everywhere she looked, Clarke saw Finn, his eyes set staring right at her. Bellamy noticed the slight flicker of fear in her eyes and nudged her arm, snapping her out of her daze. "You doing all right?" he asked.

Clarke nodded. "Yeah." she answered.

"You did the right thing." Bellamy assured, walking in-step with Clarke. "I'm sure Ray would agree to, if she were here."

Clarke took a shuddering breath, wishing her big sister was right next to her to help her through this. "Now I get to live with it." she stated. Clarke glanced in her peripheral vision and saw Bellamy staring off in the direction of Mount Weather. "You still think this truce is a bad idea, don't you?" she questioned.

Bellamy sighed. "I think we're wasting time with politics while our friends are in trouble." he answered.

"We need their army to get to Mount Weather, Bellamy, and you know it." Clarke reminded.

"Their army has been getting their ass kicked by Mount Weather forever." Bellamy argued. "What we need is an inside man, someone to be our eyes and ears."

"Forget it." Clarke rejected, shaking her head. "It's too dangerous."

"Clarke, if you can make it out, I can make it in." Bellamy pointed out.

"I said no." Clarke restated, her blue eyes set on her decision.

Keeping one hand on his rifle, Bellamy reached up and caressed the ring around his neck, thinking about Rayleigh, hoping with all his heart she was still alive. "Since I don't take orders from you," he cleared his throat, looking at Clarke. "I'm gonna need a better reason."

Clarke met his eyes, her shoulders sinking. "Ray would never forgive me if anything happened to you." she replied. "I know you love her, and she loves you too, but if anything happened to you, that would devastate her." Clarke held back the tears, remembering how Rayleigh shut down after their father's execution, and how she was completely silent after she buried Wells. "I'm not going to put her through that pain again. The answer's no." she sighed and walked ahead.

* * *

 **Mount Weather**

Maya helped Jasper, Monty, and Miller sneak into the Art Warehouse so they could send out their SOS call to the Ark.

"Right here." Monty motioned to a bare section of wall. "The communication lines are behind this wall."

Miller pulled out a large sledgehammer from the bag he carried, grinning. "Big-ass enough for you?" he questioned, getting ready to hit the wall.

"Wait." Maya halted. "They'll hear you."

Miller rolled his eyes, "I knew it, she's afraid of losing her blood supply." he scoffed.

"Look. You don't have to like me, Miller." Maya rebuked, matching his glare with her own. "You can blame me all you want for what my people are doing, but I'm trying to make things right."

"Then get the hell out of my way." Miller told her.

"Five seconds." Maya pleaded.

"What happens in five seconds?" Monty asked.

"Miller realizes what a dick he is?" Jasper chuckled.

A loud clanging from an old Grandfather clock echoed throughout the bunker. Maya cracked a smile. "Friend owed me a favor." she chuckled. "Time it to the blasts."

Miller hammered at the wall in rhythm with the clock's chimes, creating a large hole in the wall big enough to reach through. He backed away and let Monty shine the flashlight inside, a smile crossing his face, "Jackpot." he sighed, getting straight to work. "I've set it up to play our SOS on a loop over the Arkwide channel." he finished his tweaking and was ready to plug it into the mainframe. "If I can get it to transmit, somebody is bound to hear it."

A weird, blank static came over the radio, "Oh, that don't sound good." Miller noted, keeping an eye out for the security guards.

"I've heard this before." Monty informed. "On the black box of the Exodus ship right-" he gasped. "right before it crashed." he turned back to the others. "They crashed the Exodus ship."

"Jamming signal." Jasper concluded. "What are they jamming now?"

"Everything." Monty answered. "Probably to keep our people from talking to each other."

"So what then?" Miller asked. "Are we totally screwed?"

"I wouldn't say totally." Monty replied.

Jasper nodded, "Rayleigh would be really proud of you." he noted.

The three guys bit their lips, remembering that catatonic state they last saw her in. "Someone has to tell her about this." Miller spoke up. "That might make her step up again."

"I'll see what I can do." Maya voted. "Cassie's taking care of her, she's in good hands."

"If Bellamy were here, he'd know what to say to get her back." Jasper muttered.

"Well, he's not here." Miller pointed out. "Ray's all we've got."

* * *

 **White Room**

Rayleigh was still in the same position she was since her marrow harvesting; leaning against the foot of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, her face buried in the crook of her elbow. Her skin was pale from the forced blood donations. Bruises were on her neck from being nearly choked, and a faint scar was just under her hairline on her forehead from splitting it on the metal exam table.

In the other room, Zasha stood by the window just watching. Her blue/green eyes reflected sadness. She could see within that Rayleigh was born to be a leader, that she had the heart of a warrior and a leader's spirit. "Fight Rayleigh." she begged. "Come back. Your people need you."

Rayleigh never answered. The door to her room opened, making Zasha brace herself against the wall, sliding down and crossing her legs, slipping into meditation. It was her way if tuning out everything around her, something her sister taught her at a young age. The visitor wasn't anyone who would harm Rayleigh, but someone who's heart slowly broke at her defeated state.

"Rayleigh." he muttered, sitting next to her, his legs stretched out in front of him. He reached out and caressed her shoulder, "Sweetheart, what happened to you?"

Rayleigh lifted her head slightly, turning in his direction. A smirk crossed her face, "First it was Bellamy, now you." she scoffed. "If the man I love that's possibly still alive can't give me the strength to live, what makes you think you can?" she asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. "Dad."

* * *

 **Art Warehouse**

Monty continued working with their SOS signal, trying to figure out a way around the jamming frequency. "Damnit." he cursed.

"So now we're totally screwed?" Jasper questioned.

"Our message is broadcasting." Monty informed. "But, it's over a jammed frequency."

"So then unjam it." Miller told him,

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Monty replied, in a harsh whisper. "Looks like the only way to shut it down is from the source." he sighed. "I need five minutes in the command center."

"No way." Jasper rejected. "You heard Maya, it's too dangerous."

"The guard is coming." Maya informed, joining the others. "We're gonna have to go. Cover the hole."

The guys quickly packed up their stuff and Monty and Miller slipped out as Maya and Jasper worked to cover the hole. They tried one painting, but it wasn't big enough. Jasper found a larger one and set it upright against the wall. Maya looked over her shoulder, "He's too close." she warned. "What are we gonna do?"

A small smile crossed Jasper's lips. "I got an idea." he whispered.

"What?" Maya asked.

"This." The next second Jasper kissed her, one of his hands resting on her hips while the other lightly cupped her cheek.

The security guard shone his flashlight right onto them. "Out now." he ordered, getting their attention. "Don't let me catch you kids in here again."

Jasper suppressed a chuckle as he took Maya's hand. "Sorry." he apologized, slipping past the guard with Maya right beside him.

* * *

 **White Room; Rayleigh's POV**

"Come on baby girl, you can't give up now." dad told me. "You're strong, and brave, not to mention beautiful." he smiled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "This isn't the end for you."

"But it is." I rebuked, my voice hoarse from screaming. "Mom's gone. You're gone." I felt more tears fall. "I don't even know if Clarke's alive or not. For all I know I sent her to her death." I sniffled. "And Bellamy could already be dead. Maybe he was this entire time."

I laid my head down and cried, my shoulders heaving. Dad pulled me closer to where my body was leaning into his, his chin pressed against my hair. "Shh, baby. You don't really believe that." he whispered. "He could be out there coming for you right now."

"Then he's going to get himself killed." I muttered. "I don't deserve for him to die trying to save me. I failed our people, our friends." I whimpered. "I failed as their leader."

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **Tondc, Nightfall**

"They're alive." Raven gasped, broadcasting the SOS so everyone could hear it.

Bellamy turned to Clarke, "We need to do this now." he told her. "You've got the alliance, now's the time to use it."

Clarke looked up in the direction of Mount Weather, closing her eyes and asking herself, _"If you were here Ray, what would you do?"_ She opened her eyes and saw her sister standing in the distance, a hard look in her eyes. Clarke nodded, "First, we need an inside man." she stated, looking at Bellamy. "You were right. Without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army is useless. You should go."

"I thought you hated that plan." Bellamy reminded. "That I would get myself killed."

Clarke sighed, taking a step closer to him. "If you were working alone." she added, taking a folded piece of paper from her jacket pocket. "Here's my map of Mount Weather. Once inside, find Rayleigh and tell her everything about the alliance. Then the two of you find a way to get on that radio and talk to us." her blue eyes met his brown ones, she nodded her head slightly. "Good luck." Clarke turned on her heels and walked off.

Octavia sighed, "Bell, how are you gonna-"

"I can get you through the tunnels." Lincoln voted, cutting Octavia off mid-sentence.

Octavia turned to face him, "You can't go back there." she shook her head. "Not yet."

Raven nudged Bellamy's arm, "Let me show you what to look for." she led him to her tent and discussed a strategy.

After talking with Raven, Bellamy left her tent and wandered through Tondc, twisting the ring and chain around his fingers. He stopped in the center of the village, staring down at the ash pile where Finn's body was burned along with the eighteen villagers he killed. As Bellamy lifted his head, a vision of Rayleigh appeared right before him.

"I'm coming for you." he promised, reaching out to touch her face. "Once I find you, I'll wrap you in my arms and never let you go." He took one step closer, threading his fingers through her hair.

She stepped closer to him, reaching up to caress his cheek. He closed his eyes, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Bellamy, I love you." her last words to him before she closed the dropship door.

Bellamy opened his eyes, gazing into her twinkling blue orbs. "I love you too." he replied, rubbing her cheekbone with his thumb.

Rayleigh stood on her tiptoes and placed her lips over his, a kiss which made Bellamy's heart jump. He closed his eyes, remembering every kiss they've shared; the way their lips molded together, how time stopped when they were together, how in-love he was with her. When he opened his eyes, she was gone, but his heart was still pounding.

* * *

 **White Room; Rayleigh's POV**

Someone was shaking my shoulders, saying my name over and over again. I looked up to find Cassie's green eyes boring into mine. "Rayleigh!"

"What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Your friends did it." she informed. "They managed to send out an SOS. Your people will soon know you're here."

"So? It's not like they'll make it in." I reminded. "It's pointless."

Cassie furrowed her brow and stood up. "You can't be serious." she gasped.

"Dead serious." I corrected.

She shook her head and scoffed. "So that's it, you're just giving up?" she questioned. "For some reason I thought you were stronger than that."

"Yeah, well everyone has a breaking point." I informed. "I survived as long as I could. It's over Cassandra."

"No, you don't get to give up!" Cassie shouted, yanking me to my feet. "Your people need you."

"They planted that radio without my help." I pointed out, wincing at the pain the sudden movement caused in my lower back. As soon as I touched it, a jolt of pain zipped up my spinal cord and gasped.

"Yeah, and now Monty's missing." Cassie added.

"Monty's missing?" I repeated.

She nodded. "So's Harper."

I closed my eyes and the sharp pain of the drill in my back flooded my brain. I fisted my hair and sank to my knees, screaming as my body ignited into flames. I panted as I braced myself, gasping for breath.

"Ray, what did he do to you?" I heard Cassie mutter as I caught my breath.

"It's hopeless." I whimpered. "I can't free my people like this. I failed them."

"No." Cassie rebuked, kneeling in front of me and forcing me to look at her. "You haven't failed them. They still believe in you."

"Then they're fools." I panted.

Cassie slapped me across the face, hard enough to make my ears ring. I reached up and touched my cheek, wincing. Cassie brushed her hair back, her chest heaving. "If you truly believe that then fine." she spat. "From where I stand you have two choices; you can piece yourself together and lead your people out of here, or you can stay in this room a die like a coward." a few tears fell down her cheeks. "The choice is yours Ray. Make the right one." she turned around and walked away, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

Cassie met Jake just outside the quarantine ward. "I don't know if she'll come back." Cassie admitted.

Jake's shoulders sank, his eyes looking down the hallway. "Whatever Cage did to her, it broke her." he noted. "I know she's strong. She'll come back, she has to."

Cassie looked up at him, seeing various emotions flicker across his blue eyes. "Why do you care so much Jake?" she asked.

He met her eyes and knew he could trust her. "Because, she's my daughter." he answered.

Cassie's eyes widened as her jaw fell open.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

After everything Cassie said to me sunk in, I knew what had to be done. "I'm through sitting here and feeling sorry for myself." I huffed, getting to my feet. "My people need me, I'm not gonna let them die here." I turned to the barred window that connected this room to the next. I gripped the bars, watching her meditate as if nothing was happening. "Help me." I pleaded, her eyes meeting mine. "Help me become stronger."

Zasha stood up and stared at me from the other side of the window. "Are you sure you're ready?" she asked. "Coming back from what you've been through, it'll change you."

"I don't care." I told her. "I need to get my people out. I'm the only one who can."

Zasha simply nodded and walked away, entering my room through the secret door. "To become strong enough to lead your people out, you must be reborn." she informed, decking me right in the jaw. She pulled me forward and kneed me right in the sternum, throwing me down to the ground, pinning me down by the throat with one hand.

My body was screaming at me to give up, the pain was too much. My brain, however, was pushing me to fight back, to live. Zasha applied more pressure to my throat, her green/blue eyes filled with a warrior's fire. Everything started going dark around me.

" _Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim._ " I heard Zasha say before I blacked out.

When I came back, I felt different. My body was no longer in pain and my eyes were dry.

"Welcome back, _Prisesheda_." Zasha greeted, sitting on the edge of my bed. A portion of her blonde hair was pulled into two braids, which trailed from the top of her head, framing her ears and rested on her collarbones, another portion was in a half-back ponytail with a braided center, and the rest just flowed straight down her back. She had something very similar to charcoal paint around her eyes, which gave her eyes a fierce glow.

" _Prisesheda_?" I repeated, still captivated by her eyes.

Zasha nodded. "It means 'Princess Commander' in my language." she informed.

The last words she spoke echoed in my mind, " _Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim._ " I muttered.

"Get knocked down, get back up." Zasha translated, sliding off my bed. That's when I noticed she was't wearing the white shirt and pants that I was. She wore a brown, leather-like textured crop jacket with sleeves that fanned out at her knuckles and a low collar. Underneath it she wore a corset breast plate with a thick belt in the center. She also wore a long skirt with slits going up and reaching just below her thigh, which was made of the same material as her jacket, along with thigh-high black boots that laced up.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, motioning to her outfit.

Zasha looked down and smiled, "Apparently they keep our clothes after they capture us." she answered. "Cassandra brought it by, along with my weapons." She pulled out a metal bow and a black quiver stocked with arrows, along with a long sheath with a blade inside. "She found some for you as well." Zasha tossed a pile of dark clothes and armor onto the bed.

"Cassie." I breathed.

"She says I've got 24 hours to convince you to step up and lead your people." Zasha went on. "She said she'll help us escape and give us shelter while we put a plan together to free your people."

I ran my finger over the long coat, which felt like it was made from some heavy-duty material. I closed my eyes, remembering how everyone greeted me when I first returned to the dorm. I opened my eyes and looked at Zasha. "Let's get the hell outta this mountain."

I stripped off the shorts and shirt, sliding into my new armor. I slid on a long-sleeved black shirt that left my shoulders and part of my neck exposed, a thin strap tied around my neck and a thicker strap tied around my lower back. I slipped into the long skirt that buckled around my waist. Over the shirt went a corset-style breast plate with thin straps and some heavy fabric that fanned around my thighs. The boots reached up to my knees and I strapped on some silver-plated knee guards. Lastly, I shrugged on the coat, the train reaching down past my knees barely touching my ankles, it tied around my neck and had two smaller buckles over my cleavage, and a larger one around my stomach. I spun around once before facing Zasha, my hands on my hips, "How do I look?"

A smile curled across her lips. "Almost like a leader." she answered.

"Almost." I repeated.

Zasha nodded. "You do need weapons." she pulled out a second set of bow and arrows, and another sword. I snapped the sheath around my waist at an angle, tightening it so it was secure and slung the quiver across my chest. "Here, take these." Zasha handed me a pair of black gloves with the fingers missing, which reached up to my elbow.

"Now what?" I asked her.

"You have the weapons, now you need the full look that comes with having _heda_ in your title." Zasha told me. She sat on the bed and motioned for me to sit in front of her. "Let me. I'll make you look like the Princess Commander your people believe in."

"I'm all yours." I replied, kneeling in front of her as she brushed through my hair.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **The Woods**

Lincoln and Bellamy left Tondc at first light, heading to Mount Weather to put the rescue plan into motion. To keep up his Reaper disguise, Lincoln shot a dear and covered his mouth, chin, and neck with it's blood. Bellamy, on the other hand, was dressed in full Grounder gear, leaving behind anything that would mark him as a Sky Person behind; including the necklace that belonged to Rayleigh.

"So we make it to the intake door without any of the real Reapers seeing us." Bellamy relayed. "What happens then?"

"I kill everyone, and you slip inside." Lincoln answered. "Limestone." Bellamy tossed him a bag filled with a white, chalky substance, which he then dipped his fingers into a traced three lines across his left eye. "Let's go. We have a lot of ground to cover before dark." he walked ahead.

"Hey." Bellamy called, catching up to him. "I needed to know what happened after the intake door."

They remove your clothes." Lincoln told him as they walked the trail. "Blast you with boiling water, and douse you with something that burns even worse. From there, we were sorted. The others were tagged harvest, I was tagged Cerberus, turned into a Reaper."

"Cerberus." Bellamy repeated. "The three-headed dog that guards the Underworld." Lincoln looked at him, slightly confused. "My mom read mythology to us all the time. Octavia loved it." he noticed Lincoln crack a small smile at the mention of Octavia's name. "You're good for her." Bellamy told him. "You made her strong."

"She was already strong." Lincoln corrected.

Bellamy stopped, "Hey, I need to ask you something." he admitted, making Lincoln stop and turn to face him. "You protected my sister before you even knew her. Why?"

Lincoln sighed and walked back, standing right in front of me. "When I was a boy, I saw a ship fall from the sky like Raven's. The man inside was hurt, his body broken." he informed. "I couldn't get him out."

"Suicide by Earth." Bellamy muttered. "I heard the stories in the Guard. I just didn't know they were true."

"I brought him food and water. I didn't speak the enemy's language yet, so I couldn't understand him, but I wanted to." Lincoln went on. "So on the third day, I told my father. He made me kill him. The world has been trying to turn me into a monster for as long as I can remember. Let's keep moving." He turned and jogged up to higher ground.

"Wait." Bellamy halted. "The parking garage where we found you, it's north, that way." he pointed in the direction.

"There's a mine entrance closer to where the Reapers hand us over." Lincoln replied. "We'll go into the Underworld when we have to, not before."

Bellamy sighed, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Hang on Ray, I'm coming for you." he muttered, following Lincoln.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Zasha held a small mirror in front of me as I admired her handiwork. My hair was silky smooth, two small braids forming a halo around the top part of my head, which led down to a small ponytail from the top layer. The rest of my hair cascaded down my back and over my shoulders.

"Now, one last thing." Zasha said, covering her fingers in thick charcoal. "War paint that symbolizes your rebirth. From the pieces of your broken spirit, you became the leader your people need."

"Like the Phoenix that's reborn from its ashes." I muttered, remembering a mythological tale Bellamy once told me. I looked at Zasha, who raised an eyebrow. "Bellamy had a stock of mythology books back on the Ark, he happened to mention that story to me once. It was said that the Phoenix was a bird of fire, it would live a full life and when its time came to die, it would burst into flames, then from the ashes be reborn and go through life again."

Zasha nodded. "So it's a bird." she deducted. I nodded in confirmation. "Then I know what design to do." she smiled. "Come here."

I stood in front of her as her fingers brushed over my eyes, covering my whole eye socket before tracing a design out to the side that stopped at my hairline. She did the same to my other eye. "Okay, _Raylei kom Skaikru_ , _the Prisesheda_." she said, her eyes meeting mine. "You have been reborn anew."

She held the mirror in front of me and I barely recognized the girl reflected back. The charcoal design resembled bird wings unfurled as if the creature was about to take flight, it made my blue eyes sparkle and my fair skin glowed. "I'm the Princess Commander, and I will lead my people home." I vowed. "Even if I have to kill every last person in this mountain to do so."


	9. Reunion

**Reunion**

 **A/N: Just a warning of slight sexual content towards the end of this chapter. Other than that, reviews are appreciated.**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Zasha and I followed Cassie down a hallway, being careful to not be seen by the patrols. She stopped us as she turned a corner, sighing. "Okay, stay here." she told us. "The man who'll help you lives right in there." she pointed to the room in front of us. "I'll let him know I have you two and once the door opens, run inside."

"Got it." I confirmed. I glanced back at Zasha, who nodded.

Cassie smiled and ran to the door, knocking on it. She said something that I couldn't hear, but the steel door opened slightly. She motioned for us to get inside. I took a deep breath and exhaled, bolting for the door, ducking inside easily with Zasha right behind. I heard the door shut behind us.

"Thank you Jake." Cassie said, catching her breath. "I didn't know who else to turn to."

"Cassie, it's my pleasure." Jake replied.

My head shot up and a small gasp escaped my lips. "I know that voice." I muttered, slowly turning my head. I turned around fully and my jaw dropped. The man Cassie was standing next to was someone who in every detail, resembled someone I lost almost a year ago. "This can't be." I shook my head.

"Rayleigh, you look like you've seen a ghost." Zasha told me.

I licked my lips and swallowed the lump in my throat. "That's because he's supposed to be dead." I replied, keeping my eyes focused on 'Jake'. "You're supposed to be dead."

"If you believe that, then Jaha did what I asked him to." Jake sighed.

My breath hitched in my throat, "So, you've been on the ground this entire time?" I questioned, taking a couple steps forward. "While Clarke and I were in solitary for eleven months, arrested for the same charges you were, you've been here?"

He nodded, closing the distance between us, his own blue eyes staring into mine. "Yeah kiddo, I have." he answered.

My chest felt tight and heavy as I tried to process this new information. Those kind blue eyes, wide shoulders that could hold three people easily, light brown hair with hints of blonde. "Is this real?" I muttered. "Are you really here?"

"Rayleigh, are you okay?" Zasha asked.

Jake just looked down at me, cupping the left side of my face, "Yes baby girl." he replied, his voice cracking. "I'm here."

I threw my arms up around his neck, sighing heavily as his large arms wrapped around my back. I laid my forehead on his shoulder, closing my eyes and taking in what was happening. "I've missed you." I whimpered.

"I've missed you too kid." he replied, his voice low. "You've grown so much."

I chuckled. "It's barely been a year." I reminded. "Dad."

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

After being tagged for harvesting, Bellamy and the other captive Grounders were chained up in the decontamination chamber where they were stripped down and blasted with boiling water and doused with some sort of powder. The powder was rinsed off and they were scrubbed down, blood running down their arms and legs mixing with the water. The Mountain Men, in full hazmat gear, injected them with some sort of drug and a tracking chip. He held off for as long as he could, but the scalding water running over his body mixing with the dripping blood was enough to finally make Bellamy scream.

In the quarters Rayleigh was staying in, she was laying in bed when she suddenly jolted awake, Bellamy's scream echoing in her head. She ran her hands over her hair, which was still in the style Zasha put it in, panting. Her hand reached to caress the necklace she wore before it found its way above her fluttering heart. "Bellamy." she muttered.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

I pivoted back, avoiding Zasha's strike, spinning around and slamming my sword down on hers, my eyes narrowed in a focused glare. I stepped forward and put her on the defensive, the sounds of scuffling feet and metal against metal filled the large home.

"You learn fast, Sky Girl." Zasha chuckled, stepping forward.

I smirked and matched her move, pushing her back and jumping on the coffee table. "I've always been a fast learner." I informed, knocking her off balance and I jumped from the table to the back of the couch, flipping off and blocking her next move with my back still turned. I spun on my heels and kicked her back, knocking the sword out of her hands and pinning her to the ground, my blade on her neck.

"And what would you say to the person you were about to kill?" Zasha asked.

I panted, loosening the grip on my sword's hilt. "Yu gonplei ste odon." I answered.

"Very good." Zasha praised.

I smiled and stood up, sheathing my sword and holding out my hand. Zasha gripped my forearm as I did the same to hers, helping her to her feet. My dad cleared his throat from the couch, "Nice girls, now how about shifting focus to how you're going to get out of here."

I sighed and walked over to the couch, standing behind my dad and looked over his shoulder at the schematics he had laid out over the coffee table. "I suppose you don't have any schematics of the mine tunnels?" I questioned, rubbing his shoulders.

"Sorry kiddo." dad apologized, looking up at me. "Not my department."

I groaned and leaned into the couch, my chin resting on my dad's right shoulder. "That's the only other way out I know of, besides the front door." I admitted. "Of course if I open that then everyone in here will die, except those of us from the Ark." I pondered the thought then shook my head. "There has to be another way." I backed away, pacing back and forth behind the couch. "I'm sure Lincoln would know a way."

"Lincoln." Zasha repeated. "You know Lincoln?"

I nodded. "He was the first Grounder I ever saw face to face." I informed. "Of course, that was when he was strung up on the third level of the dropship and Bellamy was torturing him." I continued to pace. "Yet, even after that he still wanted to help us achieve peace, and he helped save Clarke and Finn. He even gave us something to help Raven after she was shot." I leaned my back against the couch. "He somehow knows these tunnels, he could help."

Zasha nodded, "He's always been a gentle spirit." she noted. "So kind and caring. Yet, he's also one of the strongest warriors I've ever met."

"Yeah, I think he might be falling for my friend Octavia." I thought aloud. "He did save her life, more than once." I chuckled. "If Bellamy ever found out, who knows what he'd do."

As soon as I mentioned Bellamy's name, the dream from last night came back; him screaming almost as if he was in pain. I caressed the nameplate around my neck, shaking my head and turning around, bracing my hands on the couch. "Okay, so how can I sneak 46 delinquents out of this fortress without being seen by any security guards and not end up becoming a Reaper's next meal?"

Zasha patted my shoulder reassuringly. "We'll find a way." she promised. I met her eyes, which were now calm and friendly, nodding in agreement.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

As soon as Lovejoy left Medical, Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, let's go." she voted, motioning for Maya to follow her.

The two girls snuck into the Harvest Chamber, where a sedated Bellamy was hanging upside down and his blood was being circulated out of his body. Maya put a hand over her mouth as she followed Cassie, who was closely examining Bellamy.

"What?" Maya asked.

Cassie squatted down, tilting her head to the side. "Dark, tousled hair, slightly tanned skin." he eyes wandered up to his abdominal area as she stood up. "Abs that would make you swoon, excellent muscle tone." she lightly poked his bicep.

"Cassie, what are you doing?" Maya asked again.

The redheaded nurse looked at her friend, "This isn't one of them." she motioned to the Grounders in the cages. "No tribal markings or scars."

"So then, who is he?" Maya questioned.

"I think this is Rayleigh's boyfriend." Cassie answered. "Quick, get me an epi-pen." Maya nodded and grabbed one, handing it to Cassie. "Oh please let me be right." Cassie muttered, jamming the epinephrine into the soft tissue of his thigh.

Bellamy awoke with a gasp, looking around. He saw the two girls staring right at him, a girl in her early twenties with dark red hair and a younger teenager with frizzy brown hair. Cassie licked her lips, "You're from the Ark, aren't you?" she questioned.

Bellamy swallowed. "Yeah." he answered hoarsely.

Cassie smiled weakly. "Do you know a girl named Rayleigh?" she asked. She saw something flicker in his eyes, and she knew she had the right person.

"Cassie?" Bellamy questioned, making the redhead nod in confirmation. "How about getting me down."

Cassie nodded, turning to Maya, "Get the electrodes off him, now." she told her, disposing of the epinephrine pen. She carefully removed the needle from Bellamy's neck, covering the wound with the gauze pad that kept the needle in place, disposing of it as well. The door opened and Lovejoy walked in, making both girls jump slightly. "Oh, Lovejoy." Cassie greeted. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Lovejoy accused. His eyes drifted to Maya, who was now standing by Cassie. "You're not cleared for this facility." he pointed to Maya. "And you know you're not supposed to be in here unless a guard is or Dr. Tsing is with you." he focused back on Cassie.

"I know, I'm sorry." Cassie apologized. "I just wanted to see what was so special about him." she glanced at Bellamy, "But he's dead." she motioned to the EKG.

Lovejoy walked up to them and Bellamy quickly closed his eyes. Lovejoy checked the readings himself, and nodded, "So he is." he agreed, lowering Bellamy down and unstrapping his feet. "You're a couple of brave girls, coming in here." he complimented.

Once his feet were free, Bellamy kicked Lovejoy in the jaw, scooting away. Lovejoy recovered and pulled his gun, aiming it at Bellamy. Cassie kicked his arm, making him drop the gun and Maya stabbed him in the neck with a scalpel. The two girls backed away as Lovejoy and Bellamy started fighting.

"Stop!" Maya screamed, holding the gun.

Bellamy was pushed against the cages, holding out his hand. "Don't." he warned. "They'll hear." he punched Lovejoy in the stomach, getting off of the cages.

Lovejoy gained the upper hand, about ready to stab Bellamy with the scalpel he held, when a female Grounder named Echo reached out of her cage and grabbed his arm, holding him still. Bellamy then strangled Lovejoy, killing him.

Cassie's eyes were wide and her chest was heaving. "Now I see why Rayleigh's in love with him." she muttered. She turned to Maya who was in a state of shock. "Hey, Maya, you ok?" she asked, gently nudging her shoulder.

Maya snapped out of her daze and turned to Cassie, "Yeah, I'm fine." she answered.

Bellamy caught his breath, crouching beside Lovejoy's body. "Help me get him undressed." he rasped. "We need to get rid of the body."

"That I can help you with." Cassie informed, opening the large steel door leading to the body chute. "You can change in here and just leave his body in the center of the floor."

Bellamy nodded and slipped inside, as Cassie kept the door from fully shutting. A few minutes later, Bellamy stepped out from the door, wearing the guard uniform. Cassie nodded and shut the door, pressing the large red button beside it, sending Lovejoy's corpse down into the mine.

Bellamy stared at the two girls before him, strapping on a belt with gun holsters attached to it. "You've both done enough." he told them. "You should walk away, now."

Cassie shook her head. "You don't know where you're going." she pointed out.

"So draw me a map." Bellamy told her.

"No." Maya spoke up, holding out Lovejoy's gun and key card. She glanced at Cassie, "We're in."

"Ok." Bellamy sighed, holstering the gun. "I need to get to the radio so I can contact Clarke. We heard Jasper's SOS."

"I helped them set that up." Maya informed. "I know where it is."

Cassie sighed, draping her ponytail over her shoulder, "Bellamy, you should know that. your people are disappearing." she informed, not looking him directly in the eyes. "Two so far; Monty and Harper."

"How's Ray?" Bellamy asked, trying to hide his worry.

"She's okay." Cassie answered. "She's safe."

Bellamy sighed in relief, "I want to see the others." he told her. "Now."

"The dorm's on the way to the radio." Maya clarified. She stopped Bellamy when he turned to leave, removing the name tag from the vest. "Everyone here knows everyone." she said, handing him a cap. "Put this on."

"Now, roll up your sleeve." Cassie ordered, turning to Maya and motioning back to a tray with tools and bandages. She met Bellamy's eyes, "They insert a tracking chip just under the first layer of skin, just in case one of them breaks out. It'll trip alarms once we start moving." She took the scalpel Maya handed her, "Ready?"

"Do it." Bellamy nodded.

Cassie gently cut open the underside of his forearm, just over the chip. She handed Maya the scalpel and it was replaced with a pair of forceps. "How'd you know what my name was before I told you?" she asked, pulling the chip out and handing the forceps to Maya. "Clean that off and set it to the side. I need alcohol, a gauze pad, and gauze wrap."

"Clarke mentioned you." Bellamy answered, as Cassie looked back at him, pressing a cloth to the incision. "She said a red-haired nurse named Cassie saved her sister's life." his eyes softened. "Thank you for saving Rayleigh."

Cassie smiled. "I just charged up the defibrillator panels." she informed. "Ray came back all on her own." she tossed the bloodied cloth into a red bio-hazard bag and gently cleaned the incision. "Rayleigh told me about you too." she added, glancing up at him as she taped a gauze pad over the incision.

"What exactly did she tell you?" Bellamy wondered.

Cassie chuckled and wrapped gauze wrap around his forearm. "That you gave her a paperback copy of _Romeo & Juliet _for her sixteenth birthday, and that your first kiss was right before a lunar eclipse." she answered, rolling his sleeve down. Maya handed her the now cleaned tracking chip. "Put this in your cage."

"Jasper told me that Bellamy saved his life once." Maya whispered to Cassie.

"He saved Rayleigh's life once too." Cassie replied. "They're lucky to have a friend like him."

Bellamy rejoined the two girls. "Take me to my friends." he looked at Maya, then to Cassie. "Then take me to my girlfriend."

Cassie led them out of the Harvest Chamber, checking hallway before slipping out and closing the door. "Where is Rayleigh anyway?" Maya asked Cassie.

"She's safe." Cassie assured. "She's with Jake."

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Zasha and I spent a decent amount of hours training in hand-to-hand combat, which I also picked up rather quickly. Both of us were in full gear, which Zasha said would help increase stamina in the long run.

As training dragged on, every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was Bellamy. My heart fluttered and my face flushed slightly, and the next second I was tossed to the side, landing on my left shoulder. "Damn." I cursed, panting.

"You were distracted." Zasha informed, offering me her hand.

I grasped her forearm as she pulled me up. "Sorry, I don't know what's going on." I apologized, gulping down half a glass of water. "I can't stop thinking about Bellamy." I dabbed my sweat-coated forehead with a washcloth.

"Well, he holds a special place in your heart." Zasha reminded, sipping her water. "It's natural to be thinking of your lover when you've been apart for a while."

I nearly choked on my next sip. "Yeah, I wouldn't exactly call him a lover." I corrected, facing her. "See, we haven't exactly been..." I tapped the water glass. "we haven't slept together yet."

Zasha nodded slowly, "I see." she confirmed. "My mistake."

My dad slipped through the door, closing it quickly behind him. "Training done for the day?" he asked.

"For now, just catching my breath." I answered, plopping down on the second couch opposite the one my dad was in this morning. "Still racking my brain on a plan to get my friends out of this concrete hell."

Zasha sat down next to me, "If you had escaped, what plan would you have come up with once you reunited with your people?" she asked.

I sighed, leaning back against the cushions, "Honestly, I'd find the Commander, request an audience, propose a treaty of some kind, an alliance I guess, and I wouldn't take no for an answer."

Zasha smiled, "Well, my sister would be the one to talk to." she replied. "She did unite the twelve clans into a coalition."

"Maybe with the Grounder army and the technology from the Ark, we'd be able to get everyone out." I pondered aloud. I sat up and crossed my legs, "Hell, Clarke wanted to negotiate peace long before the Ark came down, maybe she did just that."

I closed my eyes and silently hoped that my little sister was okay out there.

* * *

 **Third Person POV;** **Camp Jaha**

Clarke walked into engineering, a defeated look in her eyes. "We're too late." she admitted. "They're already bleeding them." she bit her lip, wishing Rayleigh was with her to help her through all of this. "It's over."

"No. You don't get to give up, Clarke." Raven snapped, standing up and facing her. "You killed Finn, and I didn't give up. I'm building a damn tone generator, you do your job."

"What is my job?" Clarke asked, raising her voice.

"I don't know, to come up with something." Raven answered.

"I've tried." Clarke admitted, fighting the urge to breakdown. "Rayleigh's supposed to be the leader. It should be her here."

"Yeah well she isn't." Raven reminded, her voice harsh and cold. "She stayed behind so you could escape. Ray's counting on you. She believed you could do this."

"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather." Bellamy's voice coming over the radio broke the tension. "Can anyone read me?"

"Holy crap." Raven gasped.

"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Can anyone read me?" Bellamy repeated.

Clarke took the speaker, "Bellamy?" she questioned. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." he answered. "That's it for the good news. We have to talk fast. Something has changed." he informed. "Jasper, Monty, everyone, they just locked them in the dorm."

"But they're alive, all of them?" Clarke questioned. "Is Ray with you?"

"I think so, for now." Bellamy answered her first questioned, then sighed. "Ray's safe, as soon as I'm done talking to you, Cassie and Maya are gonna take me to her."

Clarke sighed in relief, then realization hit her on what he just said. "Maya and Cassie are with you?" she repeated.

"They helped me escape, if not for them, I'd be dead." Bellamy elaborated. "And, Clarke, there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one."

"I hear you." Clarke replied. "But we can't do anything until you disable the acid fog." she glanced to Raven who was standing beside her. "Raven's gonna help you."

"Got it." Bellamy confirmed. "What else?"

"You have to figure out a way to free the Grounder prisoners." Clarke went on. "There's a whole army inside that mountain, and they don't even realize it."

"Trojan horse." Bellamy compared. "Good plan."

"What do Maya and Cassie think?" Clarke asked. "Is it doable?"

A few seconds of silence lingered before Bellamy answered. "They say it's not a problem. If I'm gonna pull this off, I need you to buy me some time. It won't be long before they realize I don't belong here, and if that happens-"

"That can't happen." Clarke cut him off. "I'll come up with something."

"Come up with it quick." Bellamy urged.

"Copy that." Clarke confirmed. "And Bellamy, you came through." she smiled. "I knew you would."

"All I've done so far is not get killed." Bellamy reminded.

"Keep doing that." Clarke told him. "Once you find Rayleigh, tell her everything." she ran her hands through her hair. "And give her a message from my mom and me; tell her we love her."

"Copy." Bellamy confirmed.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Zasha sat in a ring of candles, deep in meditation while I was venting all this pent up anger by continuously beating on a punching bag. I was just in my black top and a pair of yoga pants, my hands covered in ace-wrap. Ever since my 'rebirth', I've had all this anger and rage, and everytime I thought of the torture Cage Wallace put me through, I wanted nothing more than to beat him to death.

That's exactly what I was imagining; that the punching bag was him and I was decked out in my full gear, my winged eyes set in a death glare as Cage's blood stained my gloves. His bones broke under my attakcs, him beneath me as I brought him closer and closer to death.

A barrage of knocks on the steel door broke me from the image and I saw Zasha's eyes shoot open. "Jake, open up." Cassie's voice said on the other side. "Please."

Zasha and I ducked behind a section of wall as my dad opened the door, the sounds of footsteps entering the small apartment. "Cassie, what's going on?" dad asked.

I peeked around the corner, seeing the back of a guard's uniform in between Cassie and Maya. The security guard removed a hat, revealing tousled dark locks that struck a familiar cord. My dad's face relaxed, he raised his index finger, "You." he muttered. "I know you from somewhere."

"There's no time to explain." the guard replied, and I recognized that voice. "I'm here to help."

I took a deep breath and exhaled, stepping out from behind the wall. I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Bellamy?" I questioned.

The man in the uniform turned around and my heart skipped a beat as I locked eyes with him. I took a step forward and his jaw fell slack. "Rayleigh." he gasped.

The next moment I was lifted off the ground as my arms wrapped around his neck. I held the back of his head, my nose buried in his hair, inhaling his scent. "It is you." I muttered, tightening my grip around his neck.

Bellamy set me down, keeping his arms around me, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "I've missed you Ray." he whispered, rubbing my back.

I rubbed his shoulders as I pulled away, keeping one hand on his upper arm as I put my other under his chin, lifting his face to meet mine. "Not as much as I've missed you." I replied. I noticed a sligh bruise forming over his left eye, but that didn't matter. I smiled, caressing the side of his face. which he turned into my palm. He lightly kissed the heel of my hand.

His eyes gazed down into mine as he cupped the left side of my face, "I never stopped believing you were alive." he told me. "I never gave up on you."

I leaned up and kissed him, holing his face in my hands as I forced his mouth open. One of Bellamy's arms was wrapped around my back as the other held the back of my head, his fingers tangled in my ponytail. I moved my hands to brace his shoulders as I pulled away, laying my face against his chest, looping my arms under his. "I never thought I'd see you again." I admitted, shuddering.

His chin rested on top of my head, "I told you we'd meet again." he reminded, rubbing my upper back. "I also said I'd never leave you."

I pulled away and looked up at him. "What are you doing here, Bellamy?" I asked. "How did you get in?"

"I'll explain everything." he answered, kissing my forehead.

I motioned to the couches and we all sat down as Bellamy began answering any questions I had.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

Clarke leaned against the table in the meeting room, a picture in her hands. The picture was of her and Rayleigh, taken on their sixteenth birthday. She traced Rayleigh's features, remembering the words she spoke to her back when they were on the edge over the dam;

 _"You're strong. You're bold. And you're brave. You were right about this place all along. You were right about everything. Our people are out there. Find them and get help."_

 _Clarke's eyes welled with moisture, "Rayleigh, what are you saying?" she asked, her voice cracking._

 _Rayleigh caressed her cheeks, "This is where we part for now." she answered. Clarke shook her head, bracing her hands on her sister's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay." Rayleigh assured, keeping her eyes locked with Clarke's. "Find Bellamy and the others. Formulate a plan. Get us out."_

 _"No." Clarke shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."_

 _Rayleigh wrapped Clarke in her arms, rubbing her back. Clarke's fingers fisted the fabric of her sister's shirt, her shoulders heaving. "I love you big sister." she muttered into Rayleigh's shoulder._

 _Rayleigh pushed her back, wiping the stray tears that fell from her eyes. "I love you too, little sister." she replied, kissing her forehead, before touching hers to Clarke's, sighing heavily. "May we meet again." Rayleigh shoved the sheathed sword into her hand._

 _"May we meet again." Clarke repeated, sniffling._

Taking a deep breath, Clarke set the picture down and walked out of the meeting room, holding her head high. She made her way to the south airlock, where Carl Emerson was being held prisoner.

"Get dressed." she ordered. "You're coming with me."

With Indra, Octavia, and a handful of Woods Clan warriors behind her, Clarke marched Emerson to the front gate of Camp Jaha. Abby, Kane, and a unit of guards stood in their way.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Abby asked her younger daughter.

"I'm letting the prisoner go." Clarke answered.

"Absolutely not." Abby rejected. "He hasn't told us anything yet."

Clarke shook her head. "He doesn't have to." she told her mom. "He's gonna tell them something."

Abby looked at the guards behind her, "Get the prisoner back to the airlock now."

"Yes, ma'am." one guard said, but was halted when Indra and her warriors unsheathed their swords.

"You may be the chancellor," Clarke pointed out, her eyes locked with Abby's "but I'm in charge." she sighed. "If it was Rayleigh, instead of me, she'd be doing the same exact thing. I just doing what she would if she were here."

Abby kept her composure, not backing down. "Indra, tell your people to stand down before this gets out of hand." she pleaded.

"No." Indra answered, sternly.

"People could get hurt." Abby said to Clarke.

Clarke stepped up closer, "Not if you get out of my way." she replied. "You need to trust that I know what's right for us."

Kane leaned in close to Abby's ear, "The Grounders trust Clarke." he whispered. "Maybe we should, too."

Abby took a deep breath and exhaled. "Stand down." she ordered. "Open the gate now."

Clarke led Emerson out side the gate, staring him down. "Can you hear me all right?" she asked. "Because I need to make sure you get this."

"Loud and clear." Emerson answered, voice and face unemotional.

"I have a message for your leader; We're coming for him." Clarke stated. "You're watching us, but you haven't seen a thing. The Grounder army is bigger than you think, and even if you could find it, your acid fog can't hurt them. Now thanks to you," she held out the tone generator, turning it on. "neither can the Reapers." she smirked. "So you have one last chance. Let our people go, and we'll let you live. It's just that simple."

Emerson clenched his hands into fists and bit his lip, resisting the urge to attack. "I got it." he confirmed.

Clarke checked the oxygen in his tank, "It's an eight-hour walk back to Mount Weather." she noted, released the oxygen until the dial read six. "You're gonna do it in six."

"Six hours, that's not enough time." Emerson told her. "How am I supposed to deliver your message?"

"That's your problem." Clarke replied. "Now go."

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

"I knew she had it in her." I sighed, leaning against the end table in the room I was staying in. "I never lost faith."

"She's really just thinking about what you would do in the same situations." Bellamy admitted, standing in front of me, removing the tan vest he wore. "She misses you."

"And I miss her." I replied. "But, I had to stay. They need me." I looked away, "Of course, with them locked in the dorm, we're running out of time."

"We'll get them out." Bellamy assured, gently grabbing my wrist. "Together." his fingers interlocked with mine.

I turned and faced him, seeing the serious look in his eyes. I threw my arms around his neck, buring my face in his shoulder, relaxing when his arms wrapped around me. "Everything's gonna be okay Ray." he whispered. "I'm never letting you go again."

"Bell, there's something you need to know." I muttered, pulling away. "The thing's I've went through, they made me...different." I looked away.

"Hey, look at me." his fingers grabbed my chin, turning my face to meet his. "I don't care. All I care about is that you're alive, nothing else matters right now." he stepped closer, his hand moving to my bare shoulder. Bellamy leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss that made me moan. His hands ran up and down my arms, resting back on my shoulders as I held the sides of his neck. When he pulled away, we gazed into eachother's eyes. "Rayleigh." he whispered, cupping the side of my face, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. "I love you."

My breath hitched in my throat as my heart skipped a beat. His lips captured mine again, sending electrical jolts throughout my body. I pulled away first, running my fingers through his hair, staring deep into his moleten brown eyes. "I love you too, Bellamy." I replied.

His lips crashed onto mine as he pulled my body to meet his, his hands roamed my back and neck, slowly undoing the small tie around my neck. I fisted the fabric of the white button down shirt, before running my hands down his sides, looping my fingers through the loops of the cargo pants, closing the distance between us. We were driven by pure emotions, no thoughts whatsoever. His hands worked on the second tie around my lower back, slowly pulling the fabric off my body.

I deepened the kiss as I slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, slowly sliding it down his arms. Bellamy inched forward, pressing me against the end table as his hands trailed down my arms and sides, before lightly gripping my thigs. He moved his hands lower to my knees, lifting me up, our lips still connected. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he sat on the bed, one arm latched around my lower back while his other hand traced my spinal cord, sending shivers down my back. I broke the kiss and reached behind me, unclasping my bra and sliding it off, tossing it on the ground. My hands ran down his sides and I moved the white tank-top up his body, feeling his muscles ripple under my touch.

Bellamy pulled the rest of the tank off, holding my face in his hands and reclaiming my lips. I could feel his heart racing against my chest, it picked up when I lightly caressed his pectorals. He leaned back and flipped over so he was looming over me, our eyes locked with eachother's. Bellamy kissed the faint scar on my forehead near my hair line, moving down to kiss my lips, threading his fingers with mine and holding my arms above my head. He kissed the scar on my left shoulder, and I squeezed his hand in response. I could feel my body temperture rising, my cheeks flushing as my breathing became slow and heavy.

He placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss over the scar right under my breasts, and I let out a gasp as pleasure ignited a low flame inside me. I released his left hand and ran it down his back, his muscles tensing under my touch. I leaned up and captured his lips, threading the fingers of my right hand in his hair, moaning into his mouth as I lightly caressed his legs with mine, spreading them so he was in between them.

I braced both my hands on his shoulders as we gazed into eachother's eyes. I nodded my head slightly, letting him know I was ready for the next step. Bellamy kissed me, our tongues sliding past eachother's before he trailed lighter kissed down my neck, chest, breats, and stomach. I fisted the sheets as the flame grew inside, my chest heaving as my brain was swirling with love and desire.

"Bellamy." I moaned, my back arching off the bed.


	10. War Is Coming

**War Is Coming**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

I stirred awake, my eyes fluttering open. My body moved slightly and I felt a strong grip tighten around my waist. Hot breath touched the back of my neck and memories from last night came back, my lips curling into a smile. I slowly rolled over and saw Bellamy asleep beside me, his arm keeping me pressed against him. I laid on my side, taking in this moment for all that it was. His dark hair fell just above his eyes, his upper body exposed, his skin almost seemed to glow in the dim light. I lightly brushed the hair from his face, taking in the sight of how peaceful he looked, my heart fluttering in my chest.

Bellamy stirred and his eyes slowly opened, meeting mine. "Morning Princess." he whispered.

I smiled, "Good morning." I replied, my eyes never leaving his.

Bellamy lightly caressed my hip, his hand slowly moving up to cup my cheek. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips, caressing my cheek. I opened my mouth wider and kissed back, trailing my fingers down the side of his neck before resting my hand on his shoulder. I lifted my body up off the bed and loomed over him, my lips never leaving his.

He sat up, wrapping his arms around my upper back, bunching the fabric of the blanket around me. I tilted my head to the side, deepening the kiss as one hand braced his shoulder while my other tangled my fingers in his hair. We pulled away, catching our breath.

I licked my lips and cleared my throat. "We've got work to do." I reminded, wrapping myself in the blanket and sliding off the bed. "Our friends are still trapped in the dorm, we're running out of time." I clasped on my bra and and slid my underwear back on, reaching for the long skirt, slipping it on, letting the blanket fall to the floor.

"You don't even want to touch on what happened last night?" Bellamy asked, the sheet covering his lower body.

"What is there to touch on?" I questioned. "I'm pretty sure it speaks for itself. Raw love and desire. Pure emotion with barely any thought."

Bellamy grabbed my hips, kissing the side of my neck. "Well, I don't know about you, but," he whispered in my ear, lightly kissing my right shoulder. "it was the best night of my life." he placed a kiss on my upper jaw.

My eyes fluttered close as his thumbs caressed my hip bones, remembering last night how our bodies molded together, his hands tangled in my hair. I gasped, opening my eyes, turning to face Bellamy. I leaned up and kissed him, bracing my hands against his chest, feeling his pounding heartbeat. I pulled away and smiled, "It was for me too." I admitted, "Kind makes me wish I'd waited."

Bellamy chuckled, "Yeah, I honestly expected you to be a virgin." a smirk played across his lips.

With a gentle shove I pushed him back onto the bed, standing in front of him. "I may have been a 'privileged Princess' on the Ark," I reminded. "but that doesn't mean I was completely innocent." I slid my arms through the sleeves of my black top, sliding it over my head and tying it around my neck and back. I strapped on the rest of my armor and buckled my sword around my waist.

I glanced over my shoulder, "You coming?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'll be out there soon." he smiled and started grabbing his clothes.

* * *

I grabbed my coat and slipped out of the room, finding Zasha and my dad going over Mount Weather maps. "Find anything?" I asked, smoothing out my hair.

"Maybe, but it's gonna be a tight fit." my dad answered.

"We'll manage." I assured.

Fast knocks banged on the door, "Jake, let us in." Maya's voice begged. "It's urgent."

My dad opened the door and Maya and Cassie ran inside, their faces pale. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's the kids." Cassie answered, turning to me. "Lorelei just took one from the dorm fifteen minutes ago."

"What?" my jaw fell slack. "They're taking what they need by force now." I ran my fingers through my hair. I looked at the two girls, "Where're they taking them?"

Maya shook her head. "We don't really know." she answered. "Just that they went to Level Seven."

"What's on Level Seven?" Bellamy asked, joining us.

"Probably some secret room where they can harvest us without being disturbed." I spat, anger boiling inside me. I turned to him, "They just took someone from the dorm." I looked back at Cassie and Maya, "Get us to that radio, now. I need to talk to Clarke."

"Here, take these." dad told me, handing me a few rolls of schematics.

"Thanks dad." I replied, giving him a gentle smile.

He kissed the top of my head, "Be careful baby girl." he whispered.

I nodded, "Don't worry." I assured. "I'll be fine." I turned to Bellamy and Zasha, "Let's go."

* * *

Maya was going over the schematics while Bellamy and Cassie were working on a mobile radio so we could talk to base camp anywhere. Zasha was re-doing my hair in the same style as before. I held the radio Monty, Miller, and Jasper set up, taking deep breaths.

I hit the button, "Ark Station, do you read me?" I hailed. "This is the Princess Commander. Anybody there?"

A few seconds of silence. I closed my eyes, sighing heavily. "Rayleigh?" Clarke's voice questioned over the radio. "Ray, is that you?"

I sighed in relief, "Yeah Clarke, it's me." I confirmed, smiling. I closed my eyes and refocused my brain. "Bellamy told me everything, I'm so proud of you."

"I'm just doing what you would." Clarke replied. "Have you two found the source of the acid fog yet?"

"Negative, little sister." I admitted. "For now, that's gonna have to wait."

"What? No." Clarke rebuked. "Nothing is more important than that."

Bellamy took the radio from me for a brief second. "Our friends are." he reminded.

"They've starting to take them from the dorm." I elaborated. "One at a time every few hours."

"Taking them where?" Raven's voice asked.

"I don't know." I answered. "Maya and Cassie tried to follow them, but they went to a classified level." I glanced over at the two girls, who were both going over the schematics my dad gave us. "They borrowed the schematics of the vent system from a friend. They're trying to find a way in for Bellamy, Zasha, and I."

"Zasha?" Clarke repeated.

"The Commander's second." I clarified. "Also, her younger sister." I glanced back at Zasha, who just finished my hair.

"Anything?" Zasha asked, looking to Maya and Cassie.

"I think we found a path, but it's gonna be tight." Maya informed.

"It's fine, we'll manage." I told her.

"Here's the walkie Raven asked for and the earbud." Cassie handed Bellamy the two electronics.

"Guys, you have to find them." Clarke told us.

"That's the plan, sis." I replied, leaning against the brick wall.

Clarke sighed over the radio. "If you don't, all of this is for nothing." she noted.

"I know." I confirmed. "Don't worry, we got this. Have a little faith."

"I have the utmost faith in you Ray." Clarke told me, and I felt a smile cross my lips.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

 **Camp Jaha**

Clarke caught Abby on her way from engineering. "Mom, there you are." she called, running up to her. "I just got off the radio with Rayleigh."

Abby gasped, "So she's alive." she muttered.

Clarke nodded. "Go talk to her, I know you've wanted to."

"Where are you going?" Abby asked as Clarke passed her.

"To talk to Kane." Clarke answered, not turning back.

Abby shook her head and ran to engineering, stopping at the radio. Raven was busy staring at a clear dry-erase board with detailed levels of Mount Weather. She turned and saw the relief in Abby's eyes.

"She's still there, feel free." Raven encouraged. "Don't mind me."

Abby took the radio speaker, "Rayleigh." she breathed. "Sweetie are you there?"

* * *

 **Mount Weather**

Rayleigh's breath hitched in her throat as she heard her mom's voice. She clicked the button, "Mom." she rasped. "Mom, is that you?"

"Yes sweetheart, it's me." Abby replied on the other side. "It's so good to hear your voice again."

Rayleigh bit her lip, "I thought I'd never hear yours again." she admitted. "Ever since the Exodus ship crashed-"

"Sweetheart, I know." Abby cut her off. "I jumped ship just before launch."

* * *

 **Camp Jaha**

Abby braced herself against the table the radio was sitting on. "Honey, I started fearing the worst." she admitted. "We had Carl Emerson in custody and I found genetic markers in his blood." she shuddered. "The markers matched someone born on the Ark. Honey, they matched yours."

"I know." Rayleigh replied. "Mom, what I've been through here...it was pretty bad." a faint whimper was heard over the radio. "Somehow Emerson was exposed while he was in the field and by the time he returned to Mount Weather, the standard treatment was practically useless."

Abby exhaled, "Tell me what they did sweetie." she pressed.

* * *

 **Mount Weather**

Rayleigh took a shuddering breath, regaining her composure. "They circulated his irradiated blood into my system and circulated my blood into his. Since my body can metabolize radiation, they figured it wouldn't do much harm. The next day Emerson was fine." she clenched her free hand into a fist. "I was sick for the next two days."

"Hey, you're strong." Abby reminded. "Just please, be careful."

Rayleigh smirked, "Don't worry, with Bellamy here," she glanced out of the corner of her eye. "I probably won't see a lot of action. Unless it's saving his ass." she chuckled and nudged Bellamy, who just rolled his eyes.

Abby chuckled over the radio. "I love you Rayleigh." she said, holding back tears.

"I love you too, mom." Rayleigh replied. "I'll see you soon."

"Be safe." Abby warned. "And, sweetheart, don't forget that we're the good guys here."

"I got it mom." Rayleigh replied, before going off the radio and back to her mission.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

To say this vent was a tight fit was an understatement. It was damn near claustrophobic. I crawled through the vent with Bellamy right behind me, and Zasha bringing up the rear. As we moved, Bellamy hit my heel, for the tenth time.

"Ow, next time you do that I just might kick you." I whispered harshly.

"Then move just a bit faster." Bellamy told me.

"I'm wiggling as fast as I can." I replied.

"Will you two knock it off." Zasha spoke up. "Keep arguing they're liable to hear us."

Over the earbuds, Raven snickered. "As much fun as it is listening to the three-way argument, let's get back to the plan." she voted. "Tell us where you're at now."

I crawled a few more inches before stopping. "At an intersection." I answered, looking between the four separate routes. "Any ideas on your end?"

After about a minute of silence, Clarke came over the radio "We think you're close. The lab should be up ahead."

"Any chance you can be more specific?" Bellamy asked.

I heard the faint sound of a drill, and my senses went into overload. "Never mind." I told them. "This way." I wiggled may way down the vent to my right, following the drilling sound.

I came to a larger vent and found a grate, peeking through it. Images flooded my head; splitting my head on the metal table, my nerves igniting, unexplainable pain as I felt something stab me over and over again.

"What the hell is this?" Bellamy questioned.

"Bone marrow extraction." I answered, clenching my hands into fists, breathing hard and narrowing my eyes. I gave into the anger so I wouldn't give into the fear.

"You ready for the last treatment you'll ever need, Lieutenant?" Dr. Tsing asked, walking over to a security guard.

"You have no idea." he answered, and I instantly recognized that voice. "I've waited my whole life to breathe fresh air."

"Emerson." I growled, clutching the fabric of my coat.

Bellamy reached over and laid his hand over mine. "Let's get back to this secret army that she claims to have." Cage brought up, and the angry fire only grew inside me. "She tell you anything that might help us find it?" someone kept drilling. "Stop drilling, please." he ordered.

"The window for extraction after death is incredibly short." Tsing told him.

My head lowered as I saw who they were drilling into. "Travis." I whispered.

"He was a good man." Bellamy added, caressing the top of my hand.

I nodded in agreement and focused back on Emerson and Cage's conversation. "She did say she was coming for you and that if we let her people go she'll let our people live." Emerson informed.

"It's a little late for that." Cage noted, a smug smirk on his face.

"You pompous dick." I spat, breathing heavily as my last torture session played through in the back of my mind.

"Easy babe." Bellamy soothed. "Breathe."

"We'll finish the job tonight." Cage went on. "Whitman just radioed in. Apparently there's a war council meeting happening tonight in one of their villages, and all the leaders are gonna be there."

Bellamy, Zasha, and I exchanged glances while Bellamy turned the dial on the radio-walkie so Raven could hear what we hear. "Let me take a team out and support Whitman." Emerson volunteered.

"No. He has less chance of being spotted if he's alone." Cage informed.

"Sir, Whitman's good, but he can't take out that many targets alone." Emerson pointed out.

"Which is why we're gonna use a missile." Cage clarified. "This time, we're not gonna miss."

* * *

The three of us made our way back through the vents and back into the main junction. "Please tell me you heard all that." Bellamy asked Raven.

"We heard it." Raven answered.

I braced myself against the wall, barely hearing the other conversations. I took deep, slow breaths. I pulled my knees up to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut as those buried memories came back.

 _A sharp pain radiated down my entire left side as Tsing pressed the blade of the scalple into the tissue. "The hip has the largest marrow pocket." she informed. "We'll begin the aspiration there."_

 _"I don't need to know the details." Cage told her, standing by the door Harper came through. "Just do it."_

 _I heard the whirring of a drill and fisted the blanket underneath me. Lorelei shoved the drill end into the cut on my hip and my entire body tensed, like I was being cut by thousands of knives from every direction while standing in the middle of a roaring bonfire. Harper screamed, begging them to stop. I closed my eyes and tried to will myself into my subconscious, but even that couldn't be done. Tears fell down my face as my body was engulfed in fire and pain. Finally, I let out a scream that could only be made by someone close to dying._

Strong arms gripped my shoulders and pulled me close to a warm body. "You're okay." he whispered. "You're okay, Rayleigh."

Everything came back into focus and I wrapped my arms around Bellamy's neck as he helped me stand. I pulled away and shuddered, shaking my head.

"You zoned out on me there." Bellamy told me. "What's wrong?"

"You remembered, didn't you?" Zasha questioned.

I nodded. "The thing Cage did that broke me." I remembered. "I was strapped down and Tsing put that marrow drill to my hips and back." I looked up into Bellamy's eyes. "She extracted bone marrow from me, and made Harper watch."

Bellamy embraced me, kissing the top of my head. "I'm here." he reminded. "Nothing's gonna happen to you. You're safe."

I pulled back and kissed him, everything around me melting away. In that moment, all there was, was me and Bellamy. His arms keeping me close, an embrace that made me feel safe. He pulled away and smiled down at me, "I'm never letting you go." he whispered.

"Good." I replied. "Because I don't want you to." I kissed him again, lacing my arms around his neck, pulling my body upward to meet his.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

A few hours later, Dr. Tsing and a guard detail reentered the dorm, seeing all of the delinquents linked together. After breaking through, they started fighting back. One guard member grabbed Jasper and pinned him against a pair of bunk beds.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Bellamy whispered harshly.

"Bellamy?" Jasper questioned.

"Just shut up and listen." Bellamy snapped. "They're killing them. Next time they come, you have to fight back harder than this, do you understand? Here." he slipped a hand-gun into Jasper's hands. "Take this. Get everyone ready."

"Ready for what?" Jasper asked. "What's the plan?"

"Ray and I are working on it." Bellamy answered.

Jasper panted. "Find Dante. He's on our side." he informed. "He'll help us."

"Ok." Bellamy agreed.

"Hey!" another guard called. "Everything ok over there?"

Bellamy nodded. "Yes, sir." to make it look real, he kicked Jasper in the leg and punched him in the stomach before leaving.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

After a small conversation with Dante, Bellamy returned to us with coordinates where we could reverse air flow manually, letting radiation seep into one of the levels. We crawled through the air vents and found a tunnle of somekind.

"Okay, that's a long way down." Zasha noted.

I followed her out as we climbed down the ladder so Bellamy could get through. "No joke."

"Talk to me." Raven said over the radio. "What do you see?"

"Close your eyes and imagine a bottomless pit." I answered, following Bellamy up the ladder. "Damn, it's hot in here, and I'm in all black."

"Just stick with it." Raven encouraged. "According to Dante's coordinates, you're almost there."

"What's happening on your end?" Bellamy asked as we kept climbing. "Did they evacuate Tondc?"

"Don't know yet." Raven answered. "But it's Clarke, she'll get it done." I nodded in agreement. "Just concentrate on squeezing your ass through that vent and stop worrying about your sister."

Bellamy suddenly stopped, making me hit my head on the heel of his boot. "Ouch." I winced.

"Why're we stopping?" Zasha asked.

"Octavia's in Tondc?" Bellamy repeated. I lowered my head.

"She's gonna be okay." Raven assured after a minute of silence. "Clarke fired out of here. She's gonna get there on time."

"How could you keep this from me?" Bellamy asked.

Raven sighed. "Clarke was trying to protect you."

I wrapped one arm through the ladder steps and used my other arm to wipe the sweat on my forehead, looking up at Bellamy. "Listen Bell, we still have a job to do." I reminded, getting him to look down at me. "Remember, you're not the only one with a sister in Tondc. You're worried about Octavia, I get it. I'm worried about Clarke, and Zasha's worried for Lexa, but we have to focus."

Bellamy sighed and went on, "Let's just get this done." he muttered.

I nodded and followed right behind him. "Okay, I hope we reach this place soon, this charcoal is sweating into my eyes." I shook my head.

* * *

 **Third Person POV**

The Delinquents stood strong in the dorm when Dr. Tsing and the guard detail returned. After scanning the crowd, Lorelei selected Monty. As the guards prepared to take him, Jasper shot one of them with the gun Bellamy gave him.

"Take him instead." Lorelei ordered. "Search the rest. Make sure there are no other weapons." A few of the guards followed her as the rest stayed behind in the dorm, rangeling in the delinquents.

"As soon as we're in the lab, I want him prepped." Lorelei told the remaining guards with her as they approached the elevator. "We start immediately."

"Copy that." one guard replied.

The air became heavy and hot as everyone, except Jasper, started to blister. "Containment breach level five." Lorelei reported as she started coughing. "Seal the whole floor."

"Bellamy." Jasper muttered.

* * *

 **Another area of Mount Weather**

"You got to pull the outside air in to reverse the air filtration system." Raven told Bellamy.

"Just tell me how we know if it's even working." Bellamy scoffed.

An alarm started blaring as emergency sirens turned on. Zasha looked up and smiled, "I'd say it's working." she noted.

"Thank you, Mr. President." Bellamy muttered. He walked to the vent they entered from and looked around, "Where's Rayleigh?"

"Helping her people." Zasha answered.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

The alarms continued to blare as I pressed myself against the wall making my way through Level Five, carefully avoiding the cameras. I could hear the victorious screams of the rest of my friends as they escaped the dorm.

I peered around the side and saw a small group of security guards near the mess hall, guns ready. My instincts took over and I fought through them, stabbing and slashing in all directions, killing them before they could call for backup.

"You messed with the wrong kids." I said over their corpses, grabbing their guns.

I turned the corner and left the guns by the wall, seeing another guard sneaking up on Jasper. I ran up behind him and plunged my sword into his back, hearing him grunt in pain.

Jasper spun around and his jaw dropped. I pulled my sword free and put my index finger over my mouth, shaking my head. I grabbed the guns I took and handed them to Jasper, "Take these and get everyone to the mess hall." I told him. "Barracade it and stand strong."

Jasper took the guns but continued staring at me, probably shocked at my new look. "Ray-"

I placed my gloved fingers over his mouth to keep him quiet. "Everything's gonna be alright Jasper." I assured, hugging him. I pulled away and stepped back. "Keep them safe a little while longer. Bellamy and I will come get you when it's time."

I retreated down the hallway and ducked into the air vent I came in through, moving back to rendezvous with Bellamy and Zasha.

* * *

Bellamy kept to the shadows with Maya and Cassie, as Zasha kept an eye on the security guard movements from the vents. I stayed near the marrow chamber, knowing that they would try again.

"They're heading to the chamber." Zasha warned over the radio. "Be ready."

I crouched low ontop of the cages, watching the door. "I'm ready." I assured, one hand resting on the hilt of my sword.

The chamber door opened and two guards came through, carrying a struggling Fox between them.

"I'll prep the table." one guard said.

Fox pried herself loose and tried to run away, but a third guard in body armor, a.k.a Bellamy, stood in the doorway. She froze and held her hands up in defeat. Bellamy shot one of the guards and as the other reached for his weapon, I jumped down from the cages and pinned him to the ground with my sword. I wrapped my hands around his neck and twisted, snapping it easily.

Fox jumped and turned to face me. "It's alright Fox." I soothed, stepping towards her.

"Rayeligh." she sobbed, throwing her arms around my waist. "Thank God."

I smiled and held her with one arm. "You're okay." The second guard that Bellamy shot staggered to his feet. I let go of Fox and pushed her back, ramming my sword right through the guard's chest, hearing him choke before he crumpled to the ground.

"Huh, thought I killed him." Bellamy muttered, taking the hat and goggles off. Fox spun around and threw her arms around his neck, crying.

I cleaned the blood off my sword and sheathed it. "Come on, we need to get her someplace safe." I voted.

"I know where we can take her." Maya spoke up, standing in the doorway, Cassie and Zasha on either side of her. "Follow me."

I was the last one out of the chamber and I slammed the door behind me, pushing my memories from that place out of my head, but holding onto the anger that came with them.

* * *

Maya led us to her home, letting us all inside before closing the door. "Dad, you're home." she gasped as the man on the couch woke up.

"Yeah." he groaned. "The drill bit broke again." he looked up and saw us, "What are they doing here?"

I kept my arm around Fox's shoulders, keeping her a step behind me. Maya stepped forward, facing her father. "Look, they're in trouble." she told him. "We just need someplace safe to stay."

He pointed to us "They need to go now." he ordered.

"Let me explain." Maya begged.

Her dad's eyes went to Bellamy, who stood protectivly beside me. "How about you explain where he got that uniform?" he asked. "Or how those two outsiders escaped."

"She's not an outsider, Vincent." Cassie corrected, motioning to me.

Vincent brushed off Cassie's comment and looked back to Maya. "Maya, you know how dangerous this is." he reminded. "What are you doing?"

"What mom would've done." Maya answered.

Vincent stepped forward, looking at the rest of us. "I need you all to leave." he told us. "Now."

"I'm sorry sir." I apologized. "We can't do that."

"That's ok." Maya assured. "He's gonna help us."

"Really?" Bellamy questioned. "Because I'm not getting that."

"My parents were part of a movement that was against using outsider blood." Maya informed, looking at her father. "My mom refused the treatments, and it killed her. She was willing to die for what she believed in."

"Maya, you were five." Vincent reminded. "I couldn't leave you alone."

Maya gave him a soft smile, "I'm not a little girl anymore." she clarified.

Vincent kept his daughter's gaze. "They were willing to kill you before, if you get caught-"

"We won't if you help us." Bellamy cut off.

"Please, we're just kids." Fox pleaded.

I stepped forward, "They're killing them." I went on. "We don't have anywhere else to go."

Vincent took a look at each one of us, Fox last, before turning to Maya. "Just this once, just for one night." he sighed.

Maya took Fox's arm and led her back to her bedroom. I walked up to Vincent, meeting his eyes. "Thank you." I whispered.

"You know they'll never stop, right?" Vincent questioned, looking between me and Bellamy. "If the rumors are true and your bone marrow can get us back to the ground, they'll never stop."

I exchanged and glance with Bellamy before nodding. "We know." I admitted. "Our people come first, and we're gonna do whatever it takes to get them home."

I walked to the door, looking over my shoulder at Zasha and Bellamy, "Let's go."

"Where are you going?" Vincent asked.

I turned and faced him, pulling a folded picture from a sheath in my boot. "You know Jake Anderson?" I questioned, handing Vincent the photo.

He nodded, "Yeah, Jake's a friend. We get together for a drink every now and then." he took the photo from me.

"His real name is Jake Griffin." I informed. "He's my father." Vincent looked at the picture then back to me. "The other women in that photo are my mom, my sister, and me."

He handed the photo back to me and I slipped it into my boot sheath. "Jake's a good man." he whispered.

I nodded. "Thanks for helping Fox, we'll be back in the morning to check on her." I turned and left, with Zasha and Bellamy right behind me.

* * *

The next morning, Maya and Cassie were giving us directions to where the guns were stored so we could get them to the others.

"Lovejoy's key card will get you into the armory." Maya informed. "The guns are locked, but the guard has the key. I can lure him away or-"

"No, there's no time." Bellamy cut her off. "Once I get the guns, how do I get them to level five? They're watching every door."

"Maybe not." Cassie muttered, stopping. "The mess hall has a trash chute."

"A trash chute." I repeated.

"There's one on every level." Cassie went on. "Best part no radiation alarms. The hatches leak like crazy, so they put in these airlocks just to be safe." she exchanged a glance with Maya, who smiled.

"You guys get the guns, we'll get them into the mess hall." Maya continued.

I smiled at her, "You're a natural-born revolutionary." I praised. "Both of you."

Cassie just shrugged. Maya returned my smile, "My mom was the revolutionary." she corrected. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

"You guys don't deserve this." Cassie added. "You're all just kids."

"Well, I'm pretty sure we've been on the ground for over a month, which means I'm already eighteen." I informed.

Bellamy took my hand and interlaced our fingers, kissing my temple. Zasha nodded her head once, "Meet back here in thirty minutes." she voted.

"I'll go find those schematics for the acid fog." Cassie volunteered, going off in another direction.

As we walked to the armory, we heard Cage talking over the communications system, giving the rest of my friends an ultimatium; surrender or Maya will die on the irradiated level. Bellamy turned back and headed in that direction.

I exchanged a glance with Zasha, "She did help us." she reminded.

I nodded, "Let's go." I spun on my heels and followed Bellamy.

* * *

Zasha and I waited underneath the trash chute as Bellamy made his way up to it to the mess hall, trying to get to Maya before it was too late. A couple minutes later, three people came sliding down the chute as steam lowered on top of them.

"Close call." I noted, helping Bellamy out of the cart. I helped Maya out next, taking her helmet off.

"Thanks Rayleigh." she gasped.

"Not a problem." I replied.

I heard footsteps coming from behind us, and I spun around with my sword ready. I sheathed it when I saw it was only Vincent. "Dad, what are you doing here?" Maya asked, walking up to him.

"What your mother would have done." he replied. "Come here." the two embraced.

Jasper climbed out of the cart, catching his breath. In the excitement, he hugged Bellamy, patting his shoulder. He let go and turned to me, "Nice save, Princess Commander." he chuckled.

"You know me, I'm always cutting it close." I replied, hugging him. I patted his back, "You've done great Jasper."

"What's the plan?" Jasper asked, looking between Bellamy and I.

"Clarke's coming with an army of Grounders." Bellamy answered. "We have to keep all of you safe until then."

Jasper grinned. "Don't tell me Finn finally got his peace talk." he chuckled.

"Something like that." Bellamy replied. "Come on. We got a lot of work to do."

"I'll get everyone else down here." I voted, climbing back up the chute. I banged on the door, waiting for someone to open it. When it finally did, I climbed out, finding everyone staring right at me. "We have a plan." I announced. "Get down that chute and I'll explain everything."

One by one they slid down the chute, Harper, Miller, and Monty being the last ones before me. I slammed the chute door closed and was the last one into the cart, hot steam blowing over me.

I leaned into the cart, catching my breath, "Wow, that was a ride." I giggled, smoothing out my hair.

"And once again she save's our necks." Miller noted, standing by the cart.

Him and Jasper helped me out and everyone looked to me. I cleared my throat, "First of all, let me just say that I'm proud of what you've all done so far. Taking the level and barracading the mess hall, very nice." I licked my lips. "I know I haven't been around, and some of you must've thought I abandoned you. But, that wasn't the case. I helped Clarke escape, so she could find our people and help us get out of here. And she did just that." I took one step forward. "She talked with the Grounders' Commander and formed an alliance so all of us could escape; both Grounders and Sky People." I caught my breath. "I promise you guys, we're all getting out of here and I'll lead you home; even if some of you have to carry me on a stretcher. I saved you all once, and I'll do it again. No one else is dying in this mountain, unless it's Cage Wallace or any of his followers who stand between us and our freedom!" my mouth curled into a smile, "We fought for our lives once, now it's time to do it again! As long as we stick together, nothing will break us. We may just be a bunch of kids, but we're kids with the will to survive no matter what!" I unsheathed my sword and held it high above my head.

They all erupted into cheers, chanting 'Princess Commander' over and over again. I nodded and sheathed my blade, marching through the crowd and leading them to safety, for now.

* * *

I crept along the hallways, with Bellamy at my side and Zasha a step behind me. I peeked around the next corner and stepped into the hall, "It's all clear." I motioned for the others to follow.

"Won't they see us?" Harper asked.

"It's okay." Zasha assured. "Maya took out the cameras."

"Yeah, well, we're still sitting ducks in a group like this." Miller pointed out.

"You're right." Bellamy agreed. "So we're gonna split up."

"No. We do this together." Monty rebuked. "We survive together."

"Bellamy's right." Jasper seconded.

"Well, they don't trust Maya anymore." Miller stated. "Who the hell is gonna help us now?"

I smiled and turned the corner, seeing my dad waiting for me. Behind him was a small crowd of people. "They are." I answered. I walked up to my dad and hugged him tightly, "I knew you'd come through." I whispered.

"Anything I can do to help." dad replied, rubbing my back. He pulled away and handed me a map heading right where the acid fog dispersal system was. "Figured you could use that."

I nodded and turned to face my friends, "Guys, meet the man who's the reason Jaha sent us down here in the first place." I introduced, looking up at dad. "Jake Griffin, my father."

Dad kept his arm around my shoulders, "Not everyone agrees with Cage and his methods." he informed. "These are those who don't agree with him. They'll hide you and keep you safe."

"Come with us." Vincent urged. "We'll divide you along the way."

As each of the remaining kids passed me I patted their shoulder reassuringly, letting them know everything was gonna be okay. Miller stopped in front of me, smiling, "That was a damn good motivational speech, Ray." he complemented.

"Well what can I say, guess Bellamy's rubbing off on me." I chuckled, smiling back. "Let me guess, if you played for the other team you'd be kissing me right now, right?"

Miller chuckled, "I'd have probably fallen in love." he corrected, hugging me.

I hugged back, "Be safe." I whispered, pulling back.

Miller nodded and walked ahead. Harper gave me a hug next, "I knew you'd come back for us." she sighed.

"I knew you'd be strong enough to come back too." I replied, rubbing her back. "I'll see you soon."

Monty and Jasper stayed behind with me, Bellamy, and Zasha. "Hey, we're coming with you." Monty voted.

"No, you're not." I rejected. "They still don't know Bellamy's here, and we need to keep it that way. Also, Cage doesn't know Zasha and I have even escaped, but he will soon enough. As long as we stick with Bellamy, we're in the wind."

"So what do we do?" Jasper asked.

"Stay alive." Bellamy answered.

"Be ready to fight." I added. "Because war is coming."

"We'll come get you guys when we're ready to move." Bellamy assured.

Monty wrapped his arms around my back, "Glad you came back to us." he sighed in relief.

I hugged him back. "I'm sorry it took me as long as it did." I apologized, pulling back. I hugged Jasper next, "Keep it up Jasper." I whispered, "Finn would be proud."

Jasper pulled away, "I'm just glad to see some color in your face again." he admitted

I nodded, "See you soon." I promised, before they left with Maya and her dad. I turned to Cassie, "Keep my dad safe for now, okay?"

"Of course." Cassie agreed. "You just focus on getting the acid fog down." She and my dad walked off, leaving me alone with Zasha and Bellamy.

"You heard her, let's get going." Zasha voted, turning down the hallway we just came through.

I went to follow but Bellamy stopped me. I looked up at him, his brown eyes boring into my blue ones. "Bell, what's up?"

"Just wanted to say, that speech you gave, was incredible." he answered. "You're incredible. It's like you've become this different person, you've stepped up as the leader we all knew you could be." Bellamy stepped closer to me, cupping the right side of my face. "I love you." he leaned down and crashed his lips to mine, holding my face in his hands, bringing our bodies closer together.

I turned my face into his left hand, kissing back, bracing my hands on his shoulders. "I love you too." I replied, once I pulled away, keeping my eyes locked with his. "I couldn't have made it this far without you. I need you."

"I'm not leaving your side." Bellamy promised. "We're gonna see this through to the end, together." He kissed my forehead before wrapping me in his arms, holding me tightly. "It's you and me, all the way babe."

I nodded, pulling away. "But, there is one thing." I sighed, meeting his eyes once more. "I'm not leaving this mountain until Cage Wallace is dead." I vowed. "Even if I have to kill him with my own two hands."


	11. Bodyguard of Lies

**Bodyguard of Lies**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Following the directions Vincent gave us, Zasha and I were following Bellamy as we tried to locate the acid fog storage room. Every door we went to, the key card didn't work.

"I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this." Zasha muttered.

My senses heightened as I looked around, gripping my bow tightly in my left hand. "Bellamy. Rayleigh. Come in." Raven's voice came over the radio, making me jump and tense.

"Jesus Raven, you spooked me." I snapped, rolling my eyes.

"We're a little busy here." Bellamy informed, heading to the next door.

"You missed check-in." Raven reminded. "Did you find the source of the acid fog yet?"

"Making our way there now." Bellamy told her. "It's taking longer than I thought."

"I don't know enough to crack it on this end." Raven sighed. "You gotta give me something."

"We're working on it." I replied, keeping close behind Bellamy.

Zasha and I constantly checked our surroundings as we came to the final door. The key card reader turned red, and Bellamy sighed. "Something's wrong." that made the both of us look at him.

"What?" Raven asked.

"My key card isn't working." Bellamy answered. "We need to find another way in. Call you back."

The door behind us opened and Zasha and I spun around, arrows ready to fire. Four security guards stood opposite us, guns drawn. "Stay right there!" one ordered. "Hands in the air."

I exchanged a quick glance with Zasha, who nodded subtly. We aimed the arrows at one of the pipes and released them, sending some kind of smoke into the air. "Run!" I yelled after Bellamy, following him up the stairs behind us.

I could hear the security guards radioing behind us, "Eastbound, in pursuit of the target." the apparent lead hailed. "It's not Lovejoy. Repeat, it's not Lovejoy. An unknown with the two prisoners."

"Yeah, we've been made." Zasha sighed.

"Just keep running." I told her. "If they get to close, we kill them." I cast a quick glance behind us and saw two guards catching up to us. I skidded to a halt and drew back another arrow, hitting one of them. Another arrow zipped past me and struck the other guard. I turned around and thanked Zasha as we jumped over the railing.

"You're surrounded!" the remaining guards yelled. "There's no way out!"

I ducked in between some pipes, keeping hidden. One of the security guards walked right past me, and Bellamy jumped him from the side, knocking him to the ground. Over the radio, I heard the remaining guard call him 'Garza'. He fought against Bellamy and went for his gun.

I jumped out from the shadows and wrapped an arm around his neck, plunging my sword into his back. "Yu gonplei ste odon." I whispered, before yanking my blade out of Garza's back and stabbing him in the chest, dropping his body on the floor. I knelt down and wiped the blood off my blade onto his vest, grabbing his gun and key card.

I handed them out to Bellamy, panting. "Let's move. We need another route to the acid fog." I walked past him and saw Zasha standing by a door. We exited the room before the last guard could spot us.

"Well Cage probably knows we're out." Zasha admitted in a low voice.

"Which means we need to work fast." I replied. "My dad said he was gonna be with Vincent, hopefully he found another route to the fog room."

* * *

We knocked on Vincent's door, keeping eyes out for any patrols. The door opened slightly, "Vincent, we need your help." Bellamy whispered.

Vincent nodded and stepped aside, letting us all inside before closing the door. "It's all over the radio, they know about you." he informed.

My dad was standing by the table and I ran to him, hugging him tightly. Dad rubbed my back, sighing heavily. "Did anyone see you come here?" he asked, looking from me to Zasha and Bellamy.

"No." Zasha answered. "

We've been keeping to the vents and unmonitored halls, like you said." Bellamy added.

Another security guard stepped into the room and Bellamy instantly drew his weapon. Cassie appeared a second later and held up her hands, standing in front of the other guard.

"It's ok." Vincent assured. "Lee's one of us."

"He's my boyfriend." Cassie informed.

"Dante was like a father to me." Lee added, holding his hand out defensively. "Some of us don't agree with Cage's agenda."

I placed my hand on Bellamy's arm and lowered it, "It's okay." I whispered. Bellamy looked at me and nodded, holstering the gun and wrapping his arm around my waist, kissing my temple.

"Where's Jasper, Monty, and Maya?" Zasha asked.

"They're okay." Cassie answered, her hand slipping into Lee's. "Thanks to Lee, we moved them to a wing that's already been searched."

"Isn't that a risk?" I questioned, glancing at my dad.

"We had no choice." dad replied. "They've gone public with what happened on Level Five."

"They're saying you killed ten soldiers." Vincent added.

I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, now it's thirteen." I corrected. "Four guards made us, and well, I had to kill two."

"I killed one." Zasha chimed in, running her hand over her hair.

Vincent sighed. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this shell game going." he admitted. "Did you take out the acid fog yet?"

Bellamy shook his head, "No." he answered. "That's why we're here."

I looked at my father, "We're gonna need another route."

Dad smiled and motioned to the table, "Way ahead of you, kiddo." he informed, unrolling a large schematic map. "You can get there through the retrofit zones. They're off limits. No cameras, no patrols." he went on. "We use some to move your friends." he traced his finger over the new route.

"Since that's your other route, you're also gonna need this." Vincent added, handing Bellamy something that I didn't recognize. "An acetylene torch."

I nodded and looked over the map, "So, how can we get there from here?" I asked, glancing up at my dad.

He cracked a smile and started drawing on a blank piece of paper. "Go to the northwest corridor, and from there you'll go up into the vent system." he answered. "It's not going to be as tight as the others, but it will be hotter."

"We'll manage." Zasha assured. "Once we disable the fog, my sister's army will move into place."

"Then we'll be one step closer to getting out of here and going home." I muttered.

As dad was finishing drawing the map, I darkened the charcoal around my eyes, preparing myself for the war I knew was coming. Zasha did the same, her demeanor changing to that of a warrior who takes no prisoners. I knew if I wanted to save my people at whatever cost, I would need to adapt that same demeanor.

* * *

Bellamy burned through the grate, kicking it out. He slid out and held out his arms, pulling me out of the vent. I caught my breath before helping Zasha.

"You're father wasn't kidding." Zasha panted, wiping her forehead. "That was hot."

I nodded in agreement. "C'mon, we need to make sure no one gets in here while we figure out how to kill the acid fog." I voted, leading our small group.

Bellamy broke a class case containing an ax and handed it to me, "Bar the door." he ordered.

I nodded and climbed up the pipes, sliding through the railing. Using ax blade I destroyed the card reader before shoving the ax through door handles. Bellamy and Zasha joined me and we gaped at the large machine before us.

"Okay, how are we going to destroy this thing?" Zasha asked.

"With Raven's help." Bellamy answered, turning on the walkie. "Come in, Raven. We made it. I hope you have a plan."

"Still working on it." Raven said over the radio. "Give us something to go on. What do you see?"

"A huge steel vat, looks like a submarine." Bellamy answered as we made our way past the machines. "Some other tanks with chemical formulas and warning labels. Bunch of pipes running into the wall." he added. "Monitor."

"Ooh, go to the monitor." another male voice came over the radio. Strangely enough, I recognized it.

"Hello to you, too." Bellamy muttered raising an eyebrow.

"Kyle?" I questioned, adjusting my earbud.

"Ray?" the voice replied. "Rayleigh Griffin?"

"You're the one who's helping Raven?" I asked. Bellamy gave me questioning look. "Engineering malfunction a couple years ago." I whispered.

"Don't mind Wick, he's not really helping." Raven cut in.

Wick scoffed, "Ray, what are you doing there?" he asked me.

"Trying to save my friends." I answered, rolling my eyes. "Hey, Raven, if he gets to be too much trouble, just give him a good punch to his left shoulder."

"Good to know Princess." Raven replied, and I could hear the joy in her voice and imagined her grinning.

"Hey, how's my boy Monty doing?" Wick asked.

"Fine." Bellamy answered as we approached the monitor. "But I don't know for how long."

"Great. Pleasantries over." Wick sighed. "Listen, if that monitor is a control panel, we can use it to kill this thing. Look for a pH scale."

I looked over the screen and lowered my head, resting my elbows on the concrete stand. "It has a scale." Bellamy informed, "but the rest-S-3, V-2-0-5, H-2-S-2-O-7." he rattled off the formulas we saw. "Can't we just blow this thing?"

"No." Raven and Wick answered in unison. "No, they'll know their defenses are down." Wick continued. "They'll send a tech to fix it or reroute it or pull out some other weapon we don't even know about."

"Plus, you'd probably melt your face off." Raven added, sternly.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that." I muttered, looking at Bellamy. I nudged his arms and brushed the backs of my fingers down his cheek. "You've got a very attractive face, even with that healing black eye."

I heard Raven suppress a laugh on the other end of the radio. She cleared her throat, going back into serious mode. "Look, you guys know I like a good explosion, but we gotta think our way through this one."

"Copy that." I replied. "Put that beautiful mind of yours to work, Reyes."

"You got it, Princess Commander." Raven confirmed.

* * *

"Ok, uh Level indicator." Bellamy listed off, trying to find something on the monitor we could use to kill the acid fog.

"Nope." Wick shot down. "Try again."

"Do you see an actuator anywhere?" Raven asked.

Bellamy sighed. "I have no idea what that is." he answered.

"Norms." I heard Wick sigh.

"Hey, just because my father was the Chief Engineer on the Ark, doesn't mean I understood what he did." I quipped, rubbing my temples. "I chose to follow my mother's career path. Medical was way less complicating."

"Come on, what else you got?" Wick asked.

"Internal pressure sensor." Bellamy read down the list.

"No." Wick rejected.

"Uh, setpoint and alarm?" I questioned.

"Let's avoid that one." Wick replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Maintenance and cleaning." Bellamy continued.

I heard a faint conversation going on between Raven and Wick. "Bellamy, go to that sub-directory." Wick told us. "See if there's anything there that says 'Passivation'."

Bellamy selected the header and went down the list until 'Passivation' was highlighted. A circular pH scale appeared on screen with a title. "Okay it says 'Aqueous Sodium Hydroxide Bath'." he read off.

"That's a base, that'll neutralize the acid." Wick confirmed. "Select that."

Bellamy started the bath and there was a low hum coming from the machines. The needle slowly started moving on the scale.

"What does that mean exactly?" Zasha asked, standing on my right.

"Um, from what I remember, the pH as something to do with how acidic or basic a chemical is." I answered. "All I know is when the pH is at seven, it's neutral." I rubbed the back of my head. "I haven't seen a chemistry book since I was thirteen. My main focus was Biology and Anatomy&Physiology."

The needle slowly moved until it reached the seven, and the low humming stopped. "Passivation successful." Bellamy announced, reading the message on the screen.

"Yes!" Zasha and I slapped a high five. I wrapped my arms around Bellamy's neck and kissed him, running my fingers through his hair. His hands braced my waist, slipping underneath my coat. I pulled away and cleared my throat, catching my breath.

"Send the flare." Bellamy told Raven.

"Roger that." she replied.

I hugged Bellamy, laying my head on his shoulder, chuckling. His arms tightened around my back, one hand holding the back of my head. "Now we're one step closer to getting outta here." he whispered.

I nodded, pulling away. "Now let's go get our friends." I voted, making my way back to the vent we came in through. I walked past once of the tanks and saw an old manual dial was built into the far back on the side. Using the cloth of my glove, I cleaned it off and saw that the pH was still set to 0. "Zasha, what does the scale say on the monitor screen?" I asked.

"It's still at seven, why?" she asked.

I motioned for her and Bellamy to join me and pointed to the dial on the tank. "Something's not right." I backed away. "Get Raven on the radio now. We have to stop the army."

Bellamy tried hailing Raven, but there was no answer on the other end. A low hum sounded and the pH scale on the monitor slowly went down. "No, no, no." I muttered, as the needle dropped to zero. I slammed my hand on the side of the monitor. "Damnit!" I cursed, backing away.

There was a loud banging on the door as an alarm sounded. "They've found us." Zasha concluded.

"Get back through the vent Zasha, we're right behind you." I met her eyes and she nodded, bolting for the vent we came through. I looked around, trying to come up with a plan. Once I saw a warning lable on an oxygen tank, something clicked.

"What's your plan?" Bellamy asked.

"Something really stupid." I answered, grabbing his wrist and ducking behind the oxygen tank, just as I heard the door bust open. I took deep, slow breaths, inching to the other side of the tank, where it was a straight shot into the vent. "Cage played us." I whispered, taking out my ear bud and dropping it on the floor. I took out Bellamy's as well and shut the walkie off, stomping on the two ear pieces. "He led us to think we got the fog down."

"So now what?" Bellamy urged.

"Now, we do what Raven would do." I replied, meeting his eyes. "We're gonna blow this thing." I took an arrow from the quiver and jammed it in between Bellamy and I. "Turn the torch on, aim the flame at the tip of the arrowhead where it meets the tank, then run like hell."

Bellamy nodded and angled the torch up to meet my arrow. I turned to face him and pecked his lips, "Stay close." I whispered, making a break for the vent. I jumped through the opening and began crawling as fast as I could on my hands and knees.

I heard gunfire behind me and a bullet whipped past me, grazing my upper arm. I winced but kept moving. "Rayleigh, this way." I heard Zasha's voice call. I took a sharp right and saw a ventilation shaft not too far. She held out her hands and pulled me down. "Where's Bellamy."

"Right behind me." I answered, as the gunfire died down. I peeked up from the shaft, "Bellamy hurry, just follow my voice."

I heard the clattering of someone coming through the vents and then felt the aftershock of what could only be the explosion. Bellamy came from the sharp right and I reached out to grab his arms, pulling him into the shaft before the fire reached us. We curled up, the heat intense above us.

* * *

Once the heat died down, I coughed and rolled onto my back, giggling. Zasha turned her head and looked at me, "What the hell?" she asked.

"That would my second explosive idea." I answered, panting. "Raven would be proud."

"Ray." Bellamy gasped, coughing. He rolled on his side and looked down at me. "You are probably the most crazy girl I've ever met." he noted, a small smile crossing his lips. "But damn, I love you." he kissed me, cupping the right side of my face, his fingers getting tangled in my braided hair.

I looped my arm under his, my fingers lightly caressing the ridge of his shoulder blade. I pulled away and sat up, sighing heavily. "Now, let's get our people outta here." I climbed out of the ventilation shaft and crawled through the vents.

Next stop, the Harvest Chamber.


	12. Blood Must Have Blood (Part 1)

**Blood Must Have Blood (Part 1)**

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

I kicked the grate off the hinges and slid out of the vent system, the Harvest Chamber looking just as I remembered it. Bellamy and Zasha followed a few seconds after me.

"So this is where they take my people." Zasha gasped, looking at the cages lining the chamber.

I nodded. "We have to get them out. Clarke and Lexa are on their way right now." I unsheathed my sword. "Let's move."

I moved to one cage while Zasha and Bellamy went to two different others, freeing the Grounders one at a time. Zasha spoke to them in their language, assuring them we meant no harm.

"Once we get outta here, you've gotta teach me more of your language." I mentioned, helping another Grounder from his cage.

"You got it, Prisesheda." Zasha replied, smiling.

"So, how do we do this?" asked a female Grounder that Bellamy helped.

Zasha turned to face her. "There's an army outside going for the main door. Lexa's leading them, along with Clarke and a group from Skaikru." she motioned to Bellamy and I. "An allaince was formed, so all of us could escape this mountain."

"When that door opens, all hell will break loose." I added. "That is the signal for the rest of my people to come here."

A familiar voice came over the intercoms, and I gripped the hilt of my sword. "My fellow citizens, this is your President speaking. I have news to share with you that will change all of our lives forever."

"This cannot be good." I muttered, keeping my emotions in control.

"For 97 years, Mount Weather has been our home. It's kept us alive, but it has also held us captive." Cage continued. "Most of us have made peace with what we've had to do to survive. We've done these things for one reason so that our people could someday return to the ground. That day is today."

"He's going public." Bellamy noted, sharing a worried glance with Zasha and I.

"Before my friend, Lorelai Tsing, was murdered by the outsiders still at large in this mountain, she found a cure. It was in their bone marrow."

I sheathed my sword and went back to the vent, bracing my hand against the wall. Bellamy handed the female Grounder, Echo, the keys to the cells. "We'll be back." he promised.

"Where are you going?" Echo asked.

"He's trying to get his people to turn on each other." Zasha told her. "They'll find the rest of their people." she motioned to me and Bellamy.

"We have to bring them here." I noted. "Now."

"They'll be sent in groups." Bellamy added.

I turned to Zasha, my eyes meeting hers. "Stay here." I told her.

"No way, I promised you I'd help." Zasha rebuked, taking my hands.

I squeezed hers tightly. "You get your people ready to go." I ordered. "Tell them everything; about the allaince, the plan, everything. You wait for me and Bellamy to come back, do you understand?"

Zasha nodded. "Be careful, Cage knows we're out." she reminded, interlocking our fingers. "If he finds you-"

"Then I'll kill him." I finished, releasing her hands. "I'll kill anyone who stands in the way of my people and our freedom." I turned to Bellamy, "C'mon let's get a move on."

I went to slide into the vent, when Echo called for us to wait. I turned back to face her, and she glanced from me to Bellamy. "Thank you." she said.

"You free your people." Bellamy told her. "Protect ours when they get here."

"We can thank each other when we're all outside" I added, grabbing Bellamy's arm. "We have friends to save."

"After you, Princess." Bellamy pecked my cheek.

I gave him a small smile and slid into the vent, crawling as fast as I could, knowing I had no time to waste.

* * *

I peeked through one of the grates and saw a group of my people being led by a security guard. I glanced back at Bellamy, "Head them off, I'll sneak up behind and take him out." I whispered. I unlatched the bolts of the grate, swinging it open.

Bellamy grabbed my arm, "Won't they see you on the cameras?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes, "This is me, we're talking about." I reminded. "I'm sneaky and quick, they won't spot me unless I want them to." I saw the slightest hint of fear in his eyes. "I got this." I gave him a smile. "Trust me." I jumped out of the vent and landed gracefully on the floor.

I followed the group down the next hallway, keeping in camera blind spots. The guard stopped when Vincent stood in his way. The securty guard, Paul, aimed his weapon and that was my cue.

"Hey!" I called, standing tall and out in the open. "You have something of mine, and I want them back." I pulled an arrow from the quiver and aimed it.

Paul cocked his gun and held his finger on the trigger. Miller got behind him and held him in a choke hold. I narrowed my eyes and released the arrow, stricking Paul in the chest. His legs crumbled beneath him and Miller dropped his body. "Nice shot." he complimented.

I ran up to them, "Thank you." I replied, getting the cuff keys off the body. "Thanks for the help. You ok?"

"Better than him." Miller chuckled as I unlocked his handcuffs.

Vincent removed the grate from the vent nearby and Bellamy climbed out. He readied his weapon as another guard came at us. I spun on my heels and drew my sword, pushing Fox and Maya out of the way. I slid behind behind the next guard and kicked his legs out from under him, bringing him to his knees where I slit his throat.

"Damn." Jasper muttered, looking at me.

"This is war Jasper." I reminded, cleaning my blade before sheathing it. "No more of us are dying inside this mountain."

"Everyone, you need to get to the Harvest Chamber." Bellamy informed. "You'll be safer there."

"Safe in the Harvest Chamber?" Fox whimpered as Jasper unlocked her handcuffs.

"Just trust us." I replied.

"Are the others there?" Jasper asked.

"Not yet." Bellamy answered.

"Monty?" Jasper pressed.

"Monty's with the other group on Level Three." Vincent informed. "Don't worry. We moved them after the last sweep. You should go there next."

I nodded, "Got it." I looked to Fox, Jasper, Miller, and Maya, "Go on, Vincent will take you. We won't be long."

"Hey!" Jasper called, grabbing the rifle from the second guard I killed. "I'm coming with you."

"Jasper." Bellamy panted.

"I promised I'd protect them." Jasper reminded. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."

My lips curled into a smile and I nodded. "Alright, let's move." I voted. Maya tagged along with us as Bellamy and I led them to Level Three.

"Did you really have to slit his throat?" Bellamy asked me.

I looked up at him, "I told you, I'll kill anyone who stands between us and freedom." I answered.

* * *

As we came up to the level, the power suddenly went out. "What just happened?" Jasper asked.

"Raven and Wick came through." I answered. "That means Clarke's getting ready to blow the door."

"We'd better keep moving if we're gonna get the last twelve to the chamber in time to evacuate." Bellamy suggested.

I nodded and kept pace with him. "We don't have much time." I noted. "There's only a one minute delay until the backup generator kicks in."

Emergency lights flickered on as we ducked into a nearby vent to avoid being seen by the cameras. Once the coast was clear of evacuating people, Bellamy kicked the grate out, and I followed close behind. "The last twelve are on this level." he noted

"Including Monty." Jasper added, helping Maya out of the vent. "Which way?"

"This way." Maya pointed ahead.

"Attention. Class one quarantine protocols are now in effect." a voice announced over a speaker system. "All citizens must report to Level Five immediately. Hard seal lockdown in T-minus thirty minutes."

Jasper and Maya stopped in the middle of the hallway, and she looked visibly scared. Bellamy and I regrouped with them. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you, will we." Jasper stated, looking at us.

"Jasper, in thirty minutes, all backup power gets diverted for species continuity. That means Level Five for life support and security." Maya informed. "Radiation will seep in everywhere else. I can't go to Level Five without being shot in the head."

"Guys, we need to keep moving." I warned, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword.

"We'll get you your hazmat suit, extra oxygen, enough to last until the engineers get the power back on." Jasper suggested.

"And then what?" Maya questioned. "You think Cage Wallace is gonna let me live here after that?"

Jasper tightened his grip on the rifle. "Then we kill him."

"That plan I can get behind." I agreed.

A gunshot went off followed by a scream. I ran in that direction and skidded to a halt right near the corner, holding up my arm. Bellamy stood beside me, his gun ready to fire. "Be ready for anything." I warned. "Don't hesitate to shoot, because I won't." I took my bow from around my chest and gripped it tightly in my left hand, carfully turning the corner.

A body was laying in the middle of the hallway, blood pooling around her head. "It's Mrs. Ryan." Maya noted, jogging up to the body.

"She was hiding the last twelve." Bellamy added, lowering his weapon. "Where'd they take them?"

"It's got to be Level Five." Maya answered.

Jasper went to duck into the vent near us, but I stood in his way, eyes narrowed, Which probably made me look twice as terrifying in the dimly lit hallway. "Get out of my way." Jasper said through gritted teeth.

I kept my eyes locked with his. "Every person inside this mountain is on Level Five." I reminded. "Every soldier they've got."

"Jasper's right." Maya agreed. "After the lockdown, it'll be almost impossible to get them out. It's now or never."

"All right." Bellamy sighed. I looked in his direction. "But how do we even get-"

A clanking sounded and we all readied our weapons. Monty crawled out from the darkness, his hands shaking. "What is it? What's wrong?" Jasper asked.

"They know about the Grounders." Monty answered, looking up at us. "That's why I hid. I didn't do anything to save the others." he bit his lip, visibly shaking. "I let them kill Mrs. Ryan."

I slung my bow across my chest, "What do you mean they know about the Grounders?" I pressed, barely letting my anger out.

Monty sniffled and met my eyes. "It was on a soldier's walkie." he replied. "They're going for the Harvest Chamber."

My face fell as I took a step back, breathing heavily. "If they take it, we lose everyone." Bellamy admitted.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaled, slowly opening them again. "Come on!" I yelled, running down the hallway.

"Rayleigh!" Bellamy called after me, grabbing my arm, halting me as I turned the corner. I looked up and met his eyes, "Think this through."

"I am!" I snapped. "We've come this far and we're so close." I pointed out. "If we loose them, it's over. We'll all die in here!" I pulled my arm from his grip. "I vowed I'd do whatever it takes to get us home, and I'm going to keep it. Even if I have to darken my own soul to do so." I spun on my heels and ran down the hallway, making my way to the Harvest Chamber.

* * *

Sounds of a struggle caught my ears and I skidded to a halt, bracing against the wall. I peeked around the corner and saw the Medical Wing doors opened and readied my bow. I ran forward and was met by a small guard unit and my eyes widened.

"Rayleigh, get out of here, now!" my dad told me, being held by two security guards. He was obvusly beaten by the amound of blood that was on his face and clothes.

"Let him go." I ordered, holding my bow ready, an arrow in place. "Or you'll die where you stand."

One of the guards laughed. "She's just a little girl." he noted. "There's no way she can-"

I cut him off by shooting the arrow into his throat. The second guard readied his weapon and I ducked under his arm, punching him in the stomach before getting my arms around his neck and twisting, hearing a disticnt 'snap' as his body hit the floor. My eyes glared at the two who held my father.

"Let him go or die." I repeated. "Not a hard choice."

They let him go and charged at me. I slung my bow over my chest and unsheathed my sword, slicing the first guard deep across his stomach, and I'm pretty sure his intenstines slipped out. The second guard I fought in hand to hand, but I had a motivation to win. I stabbed him in the back and knelt in front of my dad.

"Rayleigh." dad sighed as he embraced me.

"Daddy." I whimpered, hugging him tightly. "You're okay." I pulled back and helped him to his feet. "Where's Cassie? And Zasha?"

"Zasha and Cassie hid when the security detail barged in." dad answered. "They're safe." he looked past me and his eyes widened. "Look out!" he pushed me to the side as a shot was fired.

"Dad!" I called as he hit the ground. I crawled over to him and saw blood running from a hole in his right shoulder. I pressed my hands over the wound, "Hang on you're gonna be okay."

"Behind you." dad muttered.

I heard the sound of a gun being cocked and reached for my sword, flexing my fingers around the hilt. The next second I was on my feet and felt something splatter across my face as the guard's body hit the ground, his head a few inches in from it. I wiped the blood splatter from my face with the sleeve of my dark coat, turning back to my dad.

More footsteps sounded from further down the corridor. "C'mon dad, we've gotta go." I looped his left arm across my shoulders and hurried him inside the Medical Wing. "I'll get that wound patched up, no problem."

* * *

I sat him down on one of the beds and grabbed a handful of supplies. "Ray, you should go before more guards come." he advised.

I shook my head. "No way. I'm not leaving you." I rebuked, taping a gauze pad over the bullet wound. "They should all be on Level Five by now."

"Not the ones who've had the marrow treatments." dad informed. "Honey, if Cage finds you-"

I scoffed. "It'll be the last thing he does in this life." I cut him off, wraping a layer of gauze wrap over the pad. "That should hold for now." I stood up. "Once we get home, I'll get it out."

Dad reached for my arm just as the doors opened. I spun around and narrowed my eyes as Cage Wallace stood there, smirking. "Well, the Princess Commander lives." he chuckled.

"And now the President dies." I growled, lunging towards him.

The two guards flanking him took me on and shoved me through the doors leading to the Harvest Chamber. I looked up and saw every cage was empty, and a body was in the middle. I got to my feet and walked up to it, and bit my lip. Vincent was shot in the head, executed for helping us.

"That's on you, Princess Commander." Cage said from the doorway. "Every death of your people from here on out, is on you."

* * *

I turned and went after him, but he shut the doors and barred them from the outside. I pounded on them and screamed. My heart hammered in my ears as I backed away and looked out at all the empty cages. "No, this can't be how it ends." I muttered.

The door to the body chute opened and Zasha and Cassie stepped out. "Rayleigh." Zasha yelled, running up to me. I turned in her direction and she hugged me. "You're alive."

"But my people won't be before long." I replied, pulling away. I turned to Cassie. "I'm glad you're okay."

"How's Jake?" Cassie asked. "He saved us. We owe him."

I shook my head and turned away, licking my lips. I started out at the empty cages, realizing the perfect plan fell apart, and I had no idea how. I heard the doors break open but didn't turn back to see who barged in. A piercing sob rang in the air. I felt someone grab my shoulder, turning me to face them. My eyes met Bellamy's and he sighed in relief, pulling me into his chest, stroking my hair. "I saw a trail of blood and thought you were hurt." he whispered, kissing my temple.

I pulled back, "Not my blood." I informed. "My dad was shot. Cage took him." I turned away from Bellamy and stared at the empty cages. "He said that every death of my people is on me."

"We'll get them back." Bellamy promised. "Don't give up now."

I clenched my hand into a fist and punched the metal structure of the cage to my left, denting it slightly. My shoulders heaved as my vision clouded red for a few seconds. I closed my eyes and calmed my mind, cracking my knuckles and shaking my hand out, gritting my teeth through the pain. "I'm never going to give up." I muttered, turning to face Bellamy. "We are getting out of this mountain. I don't care who I have to kill, but I will not let Cage win. He's going to regret letting me live. He'll die by my hand, today. I'm not leaving this place until he's dead, only then will we be truly free."

To Be Continued...


	13. Blood Must Have Blood (Part 2)

**Blood Must Have Blood (Part 2)**

* * *

 **The Story Thus Far:** "What would you sacrifice for survival?"

That's the question I had to answer when I was staring freedom right in the eyes. I could've made the selfish choice and jumped down that waterfall with my sister, but then who would protect my people from the Mountain Men? I made the heartbreaking choice to let my sister escape Mount Weather, while I stayed behind so my people could have hope. I was broken to the point where I was just waiting to die, but a voice in the back of my head reminded me that my friends still needed me.

So, I was reborn, fully embracing everything that came with being the Princess Commander. My only goal was to get my people home, no matter what. I would do whatever it took, even kill without thinking. With the help of my friends and allies, Zasha and Cassandra, I was freed from my prison and was given shelter by someone who I thought I had lost; my father, Jake Griffin. I thought that would be the only surprise, but no. Bellamy managed to sneak inside Mount Weather and together, with outside help from Clarke, we put a plan in motion to free our friends. However, just when freedom was in our grasp, the door was slammed in our faces when the imprisoned Grounders were released.

Now I'm faced with two choices; keep fighting or give up. Well, I'm as stubborn as they come. I promised my people I would lead them home, and I will keep it. I've taken lives to get this far, and if taking more is what it takes to get home, then I'll kill whoever I have to. I've embraced the darkenss inside. I am the Princess Commander, and I will do whatever it takes to save my people.

* * *

 **Rayleigh's POV**

Cassie led us to the intake door leading into the mine tunnles. The radiation filled air wouldn't affect her now that she had been treated with bone marrow from my people. "We're almost there." she told us, as we passed the decontamination chamber.

A large steel door was in front of us. "That's it?" I questioned, glancing at Cassie.

She nodded. "The tunnles are beyond there." Cassie answered.

Bellamy pulled out his weapon for percaution. "Be ready for anything." he warned, looking to me.

"Always am." I replied, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword.

We slowly walked forward, Zasha was a step behind me with Cassie, Maya, Jasper, and Monty behind her. Bellamy gripped the handle of the door and met my eyes. I nodded and flexed my fingers over the sword hilt, preparing to attack should we face Reapers on the other side.

The door swung open with and Bellamy was the first out. He lowered his weapon instantly as a young girl said his name before hugging him. I stepped out next and I saw Clarke a few feet away.

"Rayleigh." she gasped, running towards me.

I met her a few paces ahead and wrapped her in my arms as she threw hers around my neck, her face buried in my shoulder. Clarke sighed heavily and started whimpering. I stroked her hair, "Shh, it's okay sweetie." I soothed, holding the back of her head. "You're okay."

"I've missed you big sister." Clarke whimpered, clutching the fabric of my coat.

"I've missed you too." I replied, kissing the side of her head. "I never lost faith. I knew you would come through." I smiled, "I'm so proud."

Clarke pulled back and our eyes expression changed as she touched the side of my face, "Rayleigh, who's blood is this?"

I sighed heavily. "I decapitaed a security guard that tried to kill me." I answered.

"And the facepaint?" Clarke asked.

"Clarke, what I went through, it changed me." I admitted. "I had to adapt in order to survive." I took her hand and caressed it. "I'm still you're big sister, that's never going to change."

"Where's the army?" Zasha asked, stepping up beside me. "Where's Lexa?"

Clarke looked at her, "You're Zasha, I take it." she guessed.

Zasha nodded. "Yes, now where's my sister?" she asked again.

"Gone." Clarke answered. "She made a deal. The Grounders were freed and she retreated."

"That's what I was afraid of." I sighed, turning to look at Bellamy.

"Damn Ray, you look badass." Octavia complimented. She stepped up to me and hugged me.

I returned the hug, smiling. "I knew you'd survive, no problem." I whispered. "It's good to see you Octavia."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one who tapped into their inner Grounder." Octavia chuckled, pulling away to look at me. "Love the pain around the eyes. And your hair." she ran her fingers through a portion of hair over my shoulder.

"Zasha did both." I motioned to her. "I'm alive because of her, and Cassie." I glanced at the red haired girl.

"So what's the plan now, Ray?" Monty asked.

I sighed, "Get our people out. Same as always." I answered. "How we do that though, I don't know."

"We need to talk to Dante." Bellamy suggested, making us all look at him.

"He's in quarantine." Cassie informed.

"Why would we talk to Dante?" I questioned.

"He's on our side." Bellamy reminded, meeting my eyes.

The oxygen tank attatched to Maya's suit started beeping, alerting us that its running low. "That can't be right." Jasper muttered. "Uh. It's her last tank."

"We just changed it." Monty reminded.

Jasper turned to Maya, who looked visibly scared. "Hey. We'll find you another one."

"All the supplemental oxygen is on Level Five." Maya reminded.

"Then we have to get you to Level Five." Jasper stated.

"Level Five isn't safe for any of us." I threw out. "We'll be killed on site."

"We'll take the trash chute again." Jasper suggested, turning to the rest of us. "It will work."

"To get in, maybe." Bellamy agreed.

"Rayleigh's right." Cassie cut in. "Every solider in this mountain is there. We'll never make it out."

"We can do this." Jasper assured. "We'll split up."

Octavia nodded. "Ok, you guys go for Dante." she looked to us, then turned to Jasper, "We'll help Maya."

Before she went through the door, I grabbed her arm, "Hey." I halted. "If anyone on Level Five threatnes you, kill them."

Octavia nodded, gripping my forearm. "Got it, Princess Commander." she confirmed. I gripped her forearm and met her eyes, nodding my head. I kissed her forehead and let her go.

"Alright, I'll lead you to qurantine." Cassie offered, stepping back inside. "Follow me."

Bellamy grabbed my arm as I went to follow Cassie, "Ray, enough people have already died." he reminded me, his voice low. "How many more lives are going to end?"

"As many as it takes." I answered, meeting his eyes.

He relased my arm and kissed the top of my head. "Don't forget who you really are." he whispered, touching his forehead to mine.

I sighed. "That Rayleigh died the moment her spirit broke." I admitted. I walked through the door and caught up with the rest of the group as Cassie led us to Dante.

* * *

Cassie opened the door to Dante's room and stepped inside. Bellamy entered next, followed by me and Clarke. Zasha and Monty entered last.

"Hello again." Dante greeted, his eyes on me and my sister. "The Griffin sisters return."

I kept my eyes narrowed, my face void of any emotion. Beside me, Clarke was trying to do the same. Bellamy stepped forward, "Sir, we need your help again." he admitted.

Dante looked hesitant to reply, his eyes shifting to the camera over the door. "It's okay." Monty assured. "I took out the camera from the junction box in the hall. We can talk freely."

"No one's watching, anyway." Dante informed. "Thanks to you, they're all on Level Five."

"You're not." Cassie pointed out.

"Please, we don't have much time." Bellamy stated, his eyes pleading. "We need a way to get our people out of this mountain without killing everyone."

I kept my eyes on Dante. "He's not gonna help us." I stated.

"You cut the power, risking the lives of everyone in this mountain my people." Dante reminded. "Even the ones who helped you."

Clarke stepped up. "We knew they'd be safe on Level Five." she replied. "We made sure not to destroy the turbines so you could repair them. We're the good guys here, not you."

I stepped up next to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Easy little sister." I soothed. "Don't get too worked up."

"Tell me, if we released your people and theirs, what would've happened to mine?" Dante pondered, his eyes meeting mine.

"You all would've gotten what you deserved." I answered, sternly. I turned to look at Monty. "Can you get us into the Command Center?" I asked. "We need to see what's happening on Level Five."

Monty grinned. "No problem." he agreed. Cassie nodded.

Bellamy grabbed Dante's arm. "Let's go." he ordered. "You're gonna help us, whether you like it or not."

As Bellamy led Dante out of the room, I stopped. "One more thing." I muttered, drawing my sword. I yanked Dante back and slammed him against the wall, my sword to his neck.

"Ray, we need him!" Bellamy reminded.

I kept my eyes locked with Dante's. "You make even the slightest move that threatens my people's freedom, and I will end you right there." I promised. "Am I clear?"

"You don't have to threaten him." Clarke told me.

"That wasn't a threat." Dante corrected.

I pressed the blade against his throat. "Am I clear?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes.

"Crystal." Dante confirmed.

I pulled my sword back and sheathed it. "Good." I started down the hallway. "Let's go."

"Ray, how far are you willing to go here?" Clarke asked me as we followed Monty and Cassie to the Command Center.

"As far as it takes." I answered, not making eye contact. "We're at war, Clarke. We've had our fair share of casualties, now it's their turn."

* * *

We walked down the hallway, which was lit by dim lights. "I told you, there's no one here." Dante reiterated.

"Sorry if we don't take your word for it." Zasha snapped.

"Why aren't you with the your people on Level Five?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at Dante.

"After what I've done, they can be free." Dante answered. "I can't. Deliverance comes at a cost." we stopped by the door to the Command Center. "I bear it so they don't have to."

I stepped back, my eyes never leaving his. Bellamy looked down, "It wasn't Cage." he muttered, before looking back to Dante. "It was your idea to make the deal with the Grounders."

Dante nodded in confirmation. I shook my head and sighed.

"We're in." Monty announced, opening the door.

Bellamy was the first one through, "It's clear." he pulled Dante inside. "He's telling the truth."

"Okay, let's get the monitors up." Clarke voted. "We need eyes on Level Five ASAP."

"Can he do it?" Zasha asked me.

I nodded. "You bet." I assured.

Monty worked his magic and all the screens clicked on. How it was set up, it reminded me of Earth Monitoring back on the Ark. "Main Center's live." Monty grinned.

I looked up on the main screen and gasped. Clarke stood next to me, "Oh, my god." she muttered.

"Is that Raven?" Bellamy wondered, focusing on the person they were drilling next.

"Mom." I mumbled, my eyes focusing on her chained to the wall. She was between Kane and dad.

"That can't be." Clarke gasped, when she saw who was next to mom. "Ray." she turned to me.

"Jaha lied to us." I informed. "He never floated dad. Instead he sent him down here, under the radar from the Ark. Dad's been in Mount Weather the entire time."

Clarke stared at the screen, "His shoulder's bleeding." she noted.

"He was shot, protecting me." I bit my lip.

Bellamy grabbed a walkie, "Tell them to stop now." he yelled.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Dante stare him down. "I won't do that." he stated.

"Rayleigh, look." Cassie tapped my shoulder and pointed to the monitor displaying the mess hall. "My brother. He's Cage's right hand man."

I nodded, and turned to Bellamy, holding my hand out. "I'll get him to stop." Bellamy met my eyes and placed the walkie in my hand, nodding his head slightly. I took the walkie and turned my attention back to the monitors. "Carl Emerson." I hailed, my eyes narrowing. "Come in."

I watched on the monitor as Emerson reached for his walkie. "Who is this?" he asked.

I cracked a smile. "You know who it is." I answered. "Give the radio to the President."

"They're moving." Clarke noted, turning to Monty.

I stepped back and stood by Dante and Bellamy, keeping my eyes on the main monitor. Zasha and Cassie stood beisde me. The screen showed Cage holding the walkie as he looked up at the camera, and my vision clouded red as I met his eyes. "This is President Wallace." Cage said into the radio.

"I have your father." I informed, keeping my eyes focused on the screen ahead of me. I instantly saw his demenor change, his eyes refelcting fear. "If you don't let my people go, I will kill him."

There was a slight pause, before his voice came over the radio again. "How do I know you have him?" he asked.

I held to radio to Dante, "Speak." I ordered.

Dante kept his eyes locked with mine as he spoke into the walkie I held. "Stay the course, Cage."

I turned to the monitor and saw Cage's face harden slightly. "You won't do it." he told me. "You're bluffing."

I smirked, "You don't know me very well." I replied. "This ends now." I said through gritted teeth, my vision still hazed red. "Release my people."

"I can't do that." Cage rebuked.

I held the walkie tightly, keeping my emotions in check. I breathed steadily, my hair falling over my shoulders. "It would mean the end of our people, Rayleigh." Dante reminded me.

Holding the walkie in my left hand, I drew my sword with my right, holding it in Dante's direction, the point of the blade aimed at his chest. Bellamy placed his hand on my wrist, his eyes meeting mine. "Ray, we need him." he reminded.

"And I need his son to believe me." I replied, glancing at Bellamy. I held the walkie up and glanced at the monitor. "Believe me Cage, I don't want to do this. Let my people go, and yours can live." my blade never wavered.

Cage was silent for a couple minutes. I could tell from the monitor that my threat was getting to him. Deep down, I didn't want any more blood to be shed, but I knew that if it meant saving me people, I would kill everyone in Mount Weather.

"Dad." Cage croaked over the walkie. "I'll take care of our people." he promised.

"None of us has a choice here." Dante told me.

I kept my eyes locked with his. "I didn't want this." I admitted. My eyes flickered to Bellamy, "I never wanted this."

"Neither did I." Dante echoed.

With my finger still on the button, I ran my sword through Dante's chest, holding the walkie close so Cage could hear his father breathe his final breaths. I could feel everyone staring at me, probably jaws dropped. I glanced to my left and saw Clarke's blue eyes wide in shock, and at my right Bellamy just watched me, his face unreadable. I looked down into Dante's eyes, "I'm willing to do anything to free my people, even darkening my own soul." I declared. "Goodbye Dante." I pulled my sword free and watched as his body fell to the ground. I wiped the blood off before sheathing the blade, my eyes never blinking.

Bellamy stepped forward and placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. I met his eyes before turning to the monitor, holding the walkie. "That's on you." I echoed the same words he told me. "Every death from here on out is on you. Listen to me very carefully Cage." I warned, my voice stern and commanding. "I will not stop until my people are free. If you don't let them go I will irradiate Level Five." I vowed. My eyes drifted around the room, seeing slight fear reflected in everyone's eyes. I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Listen to me, I don't want anyone else to die." I went on. "Stop the drilling, and we can talk. Leader to leader."

Cage lowered his radio and leaned against the wall, his back to the camera. He motioned his hand and Emerson walked over to him. "This can't be good." Cassie muttered.

Emerson broke off from Cage and started walking. "Emerson's coming for us." Clarke deducted as we watched him.

"They deactivated my key card." Bellamy told Monty. "Can you do that to his?"

"That one's easy." Monnty grinned as he sat back down.

As he walked, Emerson shot out every camera. "What do we do?" Clarke asked, looking to me. "We won't be able to see him coming."

"We'll deal with Emerson later." I answered. "Right now, our people are the number one priority."

"Where's he going?" Zasha asked, looking up at the monitor.

"The dorm." Cassie answered, looking at the monitor displaying the dorm room.

I leaned into the table, tapping my nails on the cool metal. I turned and looked at Monty, my hair falling down my back. "Monty, can you do it?" I asked. "Can you irradiate the level?"

Monty met my eyes and he nodded. "I can do it." he confirmed.

"Wait a second, Rayleigh." Bellamy called, taking my hand. I turned to face him and his hand moved to cup the left side of my face. "We need to think about this. There are kids in there."

"I know." I replied, meeting his eyes.

"And people who helped us." Bellamy added, caressing my cheekbone. His brown eyes pleaded with me to reconsider.

"Then please give me a better idea." I begged, my eyes never leaving his. "I'm open to anything else Bellamy." I took his hand from my face and interlocked our fingers together.

"Ray." Clarke grabbed my shoulder.

I turned and watched as one of the doctors in the dorm took Raven off the table and replaced her with my mom. "Ray, if we do this, there is no going back." Bellamy told me.

My eyes remained glued to the monitor screens. I felt my mouth open slightly as my chest heaved. Dad was struggling against the cuffs and Cage decked him across the face. I squeezed Bellamy's hand as my eyes narrowed.

"Figure it out." Clarke said to Monty. I turned to look at her and our eyes met. "We can't let him win. Our parents are in there." she took my other hand. "We're in this together sis."

I nodded and squeezed her hand. She touched her forehead to mine and our shared looks mirrored our determination.

"Look." Cassie warned.

One monitor showed the hallway of Level Five, which now Octavia and Maya were in, being cornered by two guards. Octavia took them out with virtually zero effort, something that made my lips curl into a smile. The dorm monitor showed something else. "Jasper." Monty muttered, making us all look at the dorm monitor. "They caught him."

"That's not the only problem." Zasha noted. "Mess hall."

The monitor displaying the mess hall showed Maya and Octavia surrounded by guards. Monty continued rapidly typing until he suddenly stopped. My focus went from the monitors to him. "Why are you stopping?" I asked,

Monty met my eyes, "Because I did it." he answered. "All we have to do is pull this." he tapped the lever beside the keyboard. "Hatches and vents will open, and the scrubbers reverse, pulling in outside air he's gonna blow the door."

There was a banging on the door before it swung open. I spun on my heels and saw Emerson pointing his gun right at me. "Time to die, Princess Commander." he announced.

"No!" Cassie called just as the gunshot went off.

I was pushed into Bellamy as Cassie suddenly froze where she stood. Emerson's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He took two steps back, dropped his gun, and ran. Cassie fell to the ground, blood staining her sweater from the bullet wound in her chest.

"Cassie." I gasped, kneeling next to her. I picked her up and looked into her eyes. "Cassie, why?"

"You deserve to be free." Cassie rasped, her skin loosing color quickly. "I'm sorry." her lips curled into a smile. "Lead your people home, Rayleigh. Save them." her green eyes went dark.

I shuddered, laying her body on the ground. "I'm sorry Cassie." I apologozed, closing her eyelids. "Thank you, my friend."

I stood up and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Ray we're out of time." Clarke said.

I turned around and gripped the lever, focusing on the monitors before me. Clarke wrapped her arm around my shoulders and placed her other hand beside mine. I looked at her, "Clarke, you've done enough." I told her.

"I'm with you all the way." she replied, laying her forehead against my temple. "Let's save our friends."

I nodded and felt someone else's hand on top of mine. I turned to my left and met Bellamy's eyes. "Together." he promised, threading his fingers with mine as he kissed the top of my head.

"Together." I repeated, glacing from him, to Clarke, and then to the monitors showing our people. We pulled the lever down as far as it went, and within seconds alarms started going off.

Everyone in both the dorm and mess hall not from the Ark started sucumbing to the radiation and collapsed. Cage looked at the cameras and then ran out. I narrowed my eyes and spun on my heels, jumping over Cassandra's body and grabbed the gun Emerson dropped when he ran.

"Rayleigh, where are you going?" Clarke called after me.

I looked over my shoulder at her, "I'm ending this." I answered. "Get our people outside, I'll meet you there." I ran down the hallway and burst through the steel door leading to the stairs.

* * *

I came to Level Three and shot the electronic lock, opening the door manually, just catching Cage as he ran past the door. I slipped the gun into my belt and pulled an arrow from my quiver, and fired it, hitting Cage in the calf. He slowed down but didn't stop, so I fired a second arrow into his opposite thigh, and he still kept running. I smirked as I fired a third arrow, and struck him dead center of his back. That did it and he fell to the ground.

I stormed up to him, my vision hazed in red. Cage rolled on his side and I kicked him in the ribs, "You son of a bitch!" I yelled, kicking him again and again, getting him on his back. I pulled out the gun and shot him in the sternum, breathing heavily. "This is all on you." I growled, slipping the gun back in my belt and I gripped his throat, slamming his head onto the concrete floor. I then started punching him, venting all my rage that welled inside me.

I caught my breath and stood over him, glaring. Blood ran from his broken nose and his lip, and the bullet wound was bleeding as well. Cage coughed and blood ran down his chin, "So, this is the Princess Commander." he chuckled.

"You made me into this." I informed, stabbing him in the left shoulder with my sword, wiping the blood off on his jacket. "You should've killed me when you had the chance." I sheathed my sword and pulled out the gun. "All of this is on you." I cocked the gun. "Every death of your people is on you. Go to hell." I pulled the trigger and shot him right between the eyes, tossing the gun aside.

The rage calmed inside me and I exhaled, stepping over his corpse. "Time to go home." I told myself, making my way to the front door. I twisted the wheel and pulled the lever, unlocking the steel door and I stepped out into the crisp pre-dawn air.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

It was daybreak when we returned to camp, our new home. Clarke and I held hands the whole trek there, and we stopped just a few feet from the main gate.

"Home sweet home." I sighed, taking in the site of Alpha station.

"Rayleigh, I can't go any further." Clarke admitted, squeezing my hand tightly.

I looked at her. "Clarke, we're finally home." I reminded. "We can be a family again."

She shook her head. "I made decisions that I wasn't ready to make." she sniffled. "I need time to process everything and deal with the repercussions." Clarke faced me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I love you." she whispered.

I wrapped my arms around her back, holding the back of her head. "I love you too." I replied, closing my eyes and sighing heavily. "I'm sorry." I apologized, pulling away. "I never meant for you to compromise your own principles."

Clarke wiped her eyes. "All I wanted was my big sister back." she admitted, meeting my eyes. "I needed my big sister back."

"Now you do." I cut in, wiping her stray tears.

"Please, don't make this any harder than it has to be." Clarke sniffled, hugging me again. "Just give me some time."

I hugged her back, soothing her. "Okay." I sighed. "I'm always with you." I pulled back and kissed her forehead. "May we meet again." I reached down and took her hands in mine.

Clarke nodded and kissed my cheek, "May we meet again." she echoed. Her hands slipped out of mine and she turned back towards the forest.

For the first time in what felt like forever, my eyes started to sting. "Where's she going?" Bellamy asked, stepping up beside me.

"She needs time to process everything." I answered. "She wasn't born to make the decisions she did. Everything's changing too fast." I swallowed. "I know exactly how she's feeling."

"Hey." he whispered, turning me to face him. "Rayleigh, you kept the promise you made to everyone. You brought them home." Bellamy wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"At the cost of 381 lives." I pointed out. "Bellamy, what I did-"

"Come here." he pulled me close, wrapping his arms around my neck and waist. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder, eyes stinging. Bellamy pulled back and met my eyes, "If you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you." he told me, touching his forehead to mine. "You're forgiven."

I glanced at the forest, Clarke gone from my sight. My shoulders sank and a part of me wanted to follow her. Bellamy's arms tightened around me and when I turned back to him, his lips captured mine. A kiss of longing and passion. I braced my hands on his shoulders, before lacing them around his neck, pulling us closer together.

Bellamy pulled back, keeping one arm around my waist while his other hand cupped the side of my face. "You don't have to go through this alone." he said, caressing my cheek. "I'm right here. I'll always be right here." his brown eyes bored into mine, making my heart constrict inside my chest. I glanced towards the camp and bit my lip, turning back to Bellamy. He touched his forehead to mine, "Please Ray." he begged. "Come home with me. I love you."

And for the first time since my rebirth, a tear fell down my cheek. I opened my eyes and looked up at Bellamy, nodding. "Okay." I muttered. "I'll stay." More tears fell as I wrapped my arms around his neck tighter, burying my face in his neck. "I'll stay with you."

Bellamy lifted me off the ground, his arms locked around my waist. He put me down and kissed me, bunching the fabric of my coat. I tangled my fingers in his hair as I kissed back. I pulled away and shuddered, meeting his eyes. I cupped the side of his face, caressing his cheek, "I love you too." I sniffled.

Bellamy's eyes glistened under the sun as his lips curled into a smile. "Let's go home." he pulled me close and we walked through the gate.

* * *

 **A/N:** So ends the second installment of the Princess Commander series! I wanted to end it on this sad-yet-happy note separate from the darker themes of Blood Must Have Blood (Part 2). For all those who followed/favorited/reviewed be on the lookout for the third installment which I will post once the season three finale has aired. I already have some ideas for the story, some maybes and some defiantlys. Hope ya'll are looking forward to it.

 **A/N2:** For special trivia regarding the chapters of both The Princess Commander and Princess Commander: Embracing Darkness, check out Satanic Crusaders Productions wiki.


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